Megaforce: With Great Power
by Lily Hanson
Summary: Summer is over for the Rangers, which means they're are back to school. However, monsters don't stop invading the Earth just because the good guys have homework.
1. Things Change

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Megaforce. This story is fan-made._

_Author's Note: This is not where the Megaforce series starts. If you want to read the series without getting lost, I suggest you read my stories in the order they appear:_

_**No To Date Nights - The Party Night - Project Partners - Megaforce: Lives Behind The Masks - **__**Prom Night**__ - __**A Trip To Remember - First Meetings - Something She Loves – Protective Morans – Samurai In Harwood County – Rainy Days – Luck Had Nothing To Do With It – Ranger Support – Parents and Children – Hero Without The Spandex – Emma's Night – Emma's Mother – Bait And Switch – After Death – A Stormy Day – A Date For Tensou – A Mother's Advice – Mending Fences – Executioner Named Revenge –Those Three Words – On The Fourth Day – Babysitting – Tiger- A Fresh Start – On the Mountains – Looking Ahead – The Rangers' Recovery – Daughter's Nightmare**_

Jordan delayed it for as long as he could, but it was the last day of summer, which meant his last night in Harwood County. One of Noah's experiments was to create a chip to help Robo-Knight. It went a little out of control on Jordan, and sent him to the hospital with a minor brain injury and some amnesia, his parents freaked out a little bit over the dangers of living in a city under constant attack by monster. They packed up and moved upstate, far from the city. Jordan hadn't protested at first. At the time, he could remember having a crush on Emma, but not dating her. He went with his parents upstate, leaving her with a broken heart.

He returned at the beginning of the summer. Some of his memories had come back to him thanks to a picture of him and Emma that Troy had told him to keep. He heard of an art class being offered in the school over the summer and convinced his parents to let him stay in the city for the two months school was out. Now that his art class was finished and his regular classes at his new school back home were starting up, he needed to go back.

He didn't mind moving back in with his parents in a new town. He didn't mind having to attend a new school in his senior year. However, he did mind leaving Emma. Her responsibilities as a Ranger meant she couldn't leave town much, so weekend visits were up to him, and only if he could get a car or afford a bus ticket to drive back and forth. He promised he would do all he could to visit over the holidays, and they would keep in touch over the phone, with emails, and with text messages. He also promised to come back next summer when he was eighteen and he could live and do what he wanted. They would only be apart for ten months, but it was still going to be a long time.

They were sitting by the water at the harbour. His arms wrapped softly around Emma's. He didn't want to go somewhere fancy for dinner. He didn't want to do anything exciting. He just wanted to hold her and cherish this moment so he had something to look back on after he was gone.

Emma picked up a pebble and tossed it into the water before she sighed, "It's not going to be the same."

"It's not like we had classes together anyways," Jordan shrugged.

"Yeah but we could eat lunch together. And we could hang out after school. Now what?"

"You save the world," Jordan said. "That should keep you busy."

"It's not going to be the same."

"I'll be safe."

"That makes me happy," Emma nodded. She looked up at Jordan, "It still won't be the same."

"Things change," Jordan shrugged. "I think we're going to learn that a lot this year. Just… think of this as practice for college," he smirked. "We won't be going to the same school. I want to be a police officer. You're…"

"Not exactly sure," Emma said. "I'll be looking into programs for photography and environmental studies. Mrs. Moran also thinks I could be a good journalist."

"Options are good," Jordan chuckled. "But this year we can practice for college, where we all split up."

"I guess," Emma sighed. She looked down at the water. "But it still won't be…"

"I'll miss you too," he squeezed her gently. "I'll call you as much as I can. I'll visit as often as I can. It's not like it'll be ten whole months without seeing each other ever. And if you focus on school, fighting evil, and let yourself have fun, time will fly by. Besides, your mother is moving in, right? You'll have that relationship to focus on. You might not have time for me anyways."

"Not true," Emma reached up for a kiss. "I'll be the out of town girlfriend who calls you between every period just to say hi. I'll send packages through the school so everyone can see just how much I love you and how awesome you are."

"You're not doing that," Jordan frowned. Emma chuckled.

"No. I'll call sometimes, though, just to see how you're doing. You better answer with _I miss you_."

"I will," Jordan pulled Emma in a little closer, "My parents are going to be at my place soon to pack up."

"So? You'll be spending the next ten months with them," Emma shrugged. "We only have tonight."

Jordan nodded, pulled Emma in closer, and held her warmly as they watched the sun set over the water.

-Megaforce-

"Finals, here we come!" Jake announced as Gia opened the front door to her house and let him in. He had just finished playing in his semi-final game, where his team pulled off an amazing comeback to steal the game and secure their spot in the game for the first place trophy. Jake was very excited for this opportunity and wanted to invite as many people as he could to the finals. He figured he could talk to Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Goodall, and Emma when he dropped Gia off.

"You won?" Mrs. Moran asked as she stepped out from the den into the hallway. It was then Gia noticed her father's things were all over the hallway and living room, like her mother was clearing out what had once been his space.

Jake nodded his head, "One of the best games, Mrs. Moran. We're guaranteed a trophy and college scouts sometimes show up at the finals to recruit players for their schools. This could set me up! Coach even offered to talk me up to any scout he sees!"

"That's great, Jake, congratulations," Mrs. Moran came over and offered him a celebratory hug.

"If you can make it, I can get you some tickets to the game. We're playing in town and it should be pretty big."

"I'll move some things around," Mrs. Moran promised. "I can't wait."

"Awesome," Jake smiled. "Mrs. Goodall and Emma are invited too."

"I'll let them know."

"Great, my job here is done," Jake gave Gia a kiss goodbye before racing out. He still had to stop by Noah's house to invite him and his parents, and then he needed to go home to share the good news with his father. Gia closed the door behind him and then turned around. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot.

"Oh, boy, a look," Mrs. Moran rolled her eyes, "What's up, Gia?"

"What are you doing to dad's stuff?"

"Claire's moving in. She needs a room."

"That's dad's room. This is his stuff."

"Gia…"

"You can't get rid of his things."

"I'm not getting rid of them," her mother assured her. "I'll move some of his stuff to my bedroom. You can take whatever you want to your room, and the rest will go up to the attic."

"You're shoving dad's memories up in the attic."

"Gia, you said you were fine with Claire moving in."

"I am, but I never said she could take over dad's office! This den is his room. This is all his stuff!"

"Emma took up our guest bedroom when she moved in. We have nowhere else for Claire to sleep."

"So dad's got to go?"

"No," Mrs. Moran hugged her daughter. "Dad's not going anywhere. We're just moving some things around."

"But the den was exactly how dad left it before he died. It's the only thing we have left that's still dad."

"I'm sorry, Gia. I don't like messing it up either, but things are a little different now. His memories aren't gone. They've just… moved."

"Well, it's stupid."

"Alright. I'm going to shower. Claire will be here soon with some bags to start moving in. Help her if she shows up."

"I'll be reluctant."

"Just get it done, sweetheart," Mrs. Moran kissed her daughter's forehead before she walked upstairs to jump in the shower.

Gia rolled her eyes and walked into the den. It was empty now as it waited for Mrs. Goodall to fill it up with her personal items, but Gia could still remember where all of her father's things had been. She remembered the big desk, and how some nights he would be sitting and working there until the early hours of the morning as he tried to get a job done for work. She remembered being little, and getting up in the middle of the night to pee when she would see a light coming from the den. She would tip toe down the stairs and open the door to see her father hard at work.

"_Daddy?"_

He would look up. He would always smile.

"_Hey, sweetheart. Why are you up?"_

"_I have to pee. Why are you still up?"_

"_I've got a lot of work to do."_

"_Do you need help?"_

"_Tons."_

"_Can I help?"_

"_You need to be in bed, Gia. Don't you have that math test tomorrow?"_

"_Daddy, eight time seven is fifty six."_

Mr. Moran chuckled, "_Gia, you're doing addition. Three plus three?"_

"_Do I look stupid to you?"_

"_Gia…"_ Mr. Moran frowned for a moment, but then he chuckled and waved her over. Gia grabbed the little chair her father kept in his den just for her dragged it next to him at the desk. She stood on it and looked at his papers.

"_Whoa, that's a lot of reading."_

"_I can do this. Maybe you can draw a picture for daddy?"_

"_Does your boss need a picture?"_

"_I need a cover page."_

"_What's the work about?"_

"_Last year's profits."_

"_Were there profits?"_

"_You know what a profit is?"_

"_I'm not stupid, daddy," _Gia chuckled._ "I'll draw where you work. What floor do you work on?"_

"_The third."_

Gia drew a square for her father's building, and then three little squares for windows, one on top of the other. On the very top one, she drew a stick figure of her father. She made sure to include his tie. He always went to work with a tie.

"_Is that me?"_

"_It's five o'clock,"_ Gia reached for her yellow crayon and drew the sun in the sky. She pointed it out to her father, _"You can tell because of where the sun is."_

"_I'm happy to be off work?"_

"_You get to come home and play with me," _Gia nodded.

"That does make me happy," Mr. Moran said. He kissed the top of his daughter's head, and while she worked on her art, he finished up his paperwork. When he was done, it was very late. Gia's picture was done and she had fallen asleep on his lap. Mr. Moran took her in his arms carefully, so as not to wake her, and then carried her out of the den. He set her back in her bed, tucked her in softly with her penguin toy under her arm. He was too tired to walk all the way back to his room, so he lay down next to her and fell asleep.


	2. Not Like Her

School was starting in just a couple of hours, but Emma wanted to get one last summer ride in before class. Unfortunately, this summer left her with very little time to go out to the woods on her own to explore and take pictures, a hobby she loved and missed very much. It meant having to get up early, but while she still had some freedom she wanted to take advantage of it. She had asked Gia to come along with her, but the yellow Ranger grumbled something about five minutes, rolled over in her bed, and was right back to sleep. So Emma headed out on her own and followed the trail to her favourite part of the woods.

She and Jordan had come out here many times to escape the city and get some privacy after their dates. Emma loved the beauty of nature and the peace and fresh air that came with being so far away from all the factories and busy streets. Jordan never really mentioned why he loved being here, but Emma assumed it had something to do with being alone with her.

He was gone now, just for the school year. She missed him already but he had to go back and be with his family. She would see him again soon, and kept in touch with him over the phone and with text messages, but it would take a lot of getting used to and would still never replace being with him in person.

She stopped her bike and leaned it up against a tree. She removed her helmet and placed it carefully on the seat before looking around for a spot to sit. She found a shady spot under a big tree and made herself comfortable. She didn't mind getting a little dirt on her pants for the first day of school. By now she was pretty much known as the dirt girl so it wasn't like anyone could tease her with something really hurtful.

She was just about to start humming her favourite tune when she saw a fawn limping through the trees. It looked scared, lost, and was obviously hurt. Emma watched it carefully, assuming it's mother would be near to care for it, but when the little fawn cried out, no one answered. Slowly, so as not to startle the already frightened creature, Emma rose up to her feet and walked over to him.

"It's okay," she whispered. The fawn was hesitant to have her come near, but didn't run away. Over the years, Emma had learned a safe and effective way of approaching the animals. It wasn't always guaranteed to work, but when it did, Emma had the opportunity of petting and sometimes even playing with animals most people would steer clear of. It always made Gia nervous whenever she was around and watching. Emma heard many times the lecture of what kind of diseases she could pick up if the animal suddenly turned on her and scratched or bit her. Emma felt the risk was worth taking. She wasn't too far from the hospital, and she knew the warning signs of most animals in this forest that meant back off.

The fawn trusted her and practically fell into her arms, seeking comfort because he was hurt. Emma gently stroked the young animal while carefully checking out his leg. It seemed to still have some blood stains in the fur, and it looked like the young fawn had been bitten badly. Emma looked to him sadly.

"Is that what happened to your mother?" she asked. It was sad, but it was a way of life for these animals. Predators needed to eat, and sometimes they would devour the mother and leave her young helpless. Fortunately for the fawn, he seemed to know it was good to run away instead of stay close to his mother. Emma inspected the wound again.

"It you stay somewhere safe, it should heal," she said. She knew the fawn couldn't really understand her, but he did seem to calm down when she spoke. "You'll be big and strong. Just stay away from the guys who turned your mother into a snack, and you'll be fine."

She stroked the fawn one more time before reaching around to her backpack. She slipped it off her shoulder and had a quick peek inside to see if she had some food or something to help the fawn heal. She didn't think she made a threatening gesture, but the fawn let out a little fearful cry and suddenly darted off as fast as he could with his injured leg. Emma called out, but the fawn never looked back.

"It's because it's cute, right?" she heard a strong voice say behind her and when she spun around she gasped. She had almost completely forgotten about the mutants, with Vrak going after her and her friends constantly during the summer. It seemed now they were back. "You only protect the animals that are cute, just like every other pathetic human on this planet."

Emma tried to reach for her morpher, but Bluefur ripped her bag from her arms before she could grab it. He threw it aside and smirked at her. Emma took a step back.

"You're attacking us, remember?" she said. "You're threatening innocent people…"

"You created us!" Bluefur cried out. "You were careless with the messes you created and the damage it caused to the environment."

"Well, I won't argue that…"

"We're your creation! And instead of cleaning up after yourselves and taking care of this mess; instead of helping us mutants find a new and comfortable way to live in this disgusting world, you ignore us. We're no good to you!"

"We had no idea…" before she could say anything more, she felt something hard hit her over the head and everything faded to black. She fell forward into Bluefur's arms. He lifted her up, tossed her over his shoulder and then nodded to Biggs.

"Let's take her back."

-Megaforce-

Rebecca tapped her foot impatiently as she waited, ready to go, by the front door. It was the first day of school, the very first day of her new beginnings and she didn't want to be late. However, the ever calm Troy was taking his sweet time packing up his bag, double and even triple checking to be sure he had everything so he could have a good start.

"You're doing this on purpose!" she cried out when she noticed he was triple checking his pockets to be sure he had all the pens he needed. "Come on, Troy, I'm anxious."

"Are you sure you have everything?" Troy asked her and there was a little smirk on his lips, which led Rebecca to believe he was kidding around, purposely making her late just to annoy her. She groaned.

"Yes! Get your butt moving or I'll leave without you!"

"Just let me make sure I have everything," Troy checked his back again. Rebecca cried out in frustration and grabbed the door handle to leave, but stopped when she heard the familiar sound of a bag being wrinkled. She turned around and sighed when she saw Mrs. Burrows holding out a packed lunch for her.

"I guess I'm a little excited."

"A little?" Mrs. Burrows chuckled and handed Rebecca her lunch. "Relax, sweetheart. You're going to have a good time. Troy, please don't keep her waiting. You've got everything."

Troy nodded his head and put his bag on his shoulder. He gave Rebecca a look that signaled he was ready to go. She kissed Mrs. Burrows cheek to thank her for the lunch and then darted out the door. Troy said goodbye to his mother before having to jog to catch up to his sister.

"You're fast," he said when he reached her at the end of the driveway.

"Gotta be fast," Rebecca answered. "Don't want to be late."

"You know, speaking in full sentences will earn you better marks in school," Troy chuckled. His sister pointed a glare his way. He shrugged. "I'm just saying."

"High school is fun, right?"

"You're in the eleventh grade, you should know by now."

"I know, but I was kind of… not there for the first two years," Rebecca reminded her brother. "Druggies don't exactly think going to class is cool."

"High school can be fun," Troy said. "And don't worry, you'll be fine. You can sit with me and my friends at lunch today."

"Okay, but I don't make promises," Rebecca smirked. Troy looked to her curiously.

"Why?"

"Well, what if I get recruited for some super hero team," Rebecca tried to hide the playful grin on her face and was as serious as she could be as she spoke with her brother. "I mean, you told me how all the time when you move around, new Ranger teams would pop up."

"That's… a coincidence, Becca," Troy shook his head and Rebecca heard him gulp. "Besides, this city already has Rangers."

"Yeah, but if the aliens are getting stronger, maybe they'll need help," Rebecca said. "I like to think my dedication to being a better person would make me a great Ranger."

"I… you… there's more to being a Ranger than just wanting something. You have to prove you've got the strength, passion, and courage to follow your heart."

"I will," Rebecca said. "I'll prove it. You know, purple or orange would be a cool Ranger colour. Think it suits me?"

"Becca…"

"I'm just teasing," Rebecca gave her brother a pat on the back and then reached into the side pocket of her bag and pulled out her red Ranger action figure, "Besides, we've already got one Ranger in the family, I think that's enough."

"You're bringing him to school?" Troy asked as he took the toy. "Seriously, Rebecca? Your first day in a new school and you're bringing along a toy?"

"I'm excited, but a little nervous," Rebecca nodded her head and took the toy back. "New school, no friends in my grade, new teachers, new year. You can't be in my classes, so I just thought… you know, I'd bring a little red with me."

"Why red?"

"You always wear red," Rebecca pointed out, and then pointed to Troy's shirt under his jacket, "Like every day. It's kind of your thing. When I see red, I think of you. And I know you'd want me to do my best, and you're always looking out for me, so I feel better knowing the red Ranger's around."

"Whatever helps," Troy muttered and then looked down at his shirt. He did wear a lot of red.

They made it to school and the first thing they noticed was all the students running up to their friends to talk about their summer vacation. Rebecca stuck close to Troy as all the new faces intimidated her. She didn't have any idea who would be in her class or in her grade and didn't want to stray too far from her brother for fear of getting lost. Troy, fortunately, had enough sense to keep his eye on her as they made their way through the group until they found Jake and Noah.

"Hey," Jake smiled to Rebecca. "You made it."

"Wouldn't miss it," Rebecca answered him.

"Do you have your schedule yet?"

"Not yet," Jake shook his head. "Gia and Emma aren't here yet. We figured we'd all go in together. The line up in the cafeteria is pretty long anyways. We might as well wait it out."

"Probably a good idea," Troy nodded his head. Then he saw Noah scribbling in his notebook and sighed, "Don't tell me you're already getting started on some homework."

"I was up last night reviewing the grade twelve curriculum for science," Noah said. "Nothing's really challenging for me, so I thought I'd suggest some cool projects."

Troy saw Jake rolling his eyes and chuckled. He pat Noah on the back.

"What would we do without you?" he said.

"You ask the teacher to give you extra work?" Rebecca asked Noah and then stuck out her tongue, "Ew, I'm glad I won't be in your classes."

"The projects will be cool!"

"Don't you think we have enough projects to work on?" Jake grumbled. "I'll bet I'll barely have time for the regular assignments we're going to get, never mind whatever extra credit stuff you're going to ask for."

"There's nothing wrong with a little extra work."

"There's everything wrong with extra work."

"Amen," Rebecca said and she and Jake high fived. Then she caught the look Troy was shooting her way and nervously tried to come up with something to erase what she had just said, "I mean… hard work and passion opens more doors than laziness. I'll be working hard this year."

"You seriously need to visit dad and me more often," Jake chuckled and wrapped his arms around Rebecca. "Really, you're more than welcome to come by. Dad doesn't mind."

"Thanks," Rebecca whispered. "I'm all for doing better this year, but a girl's got to have fun, right?"

"You're going to have fun, Rebecca," Troy insisted and rolled his eyes, and then shot Jake a look for having slightly corrupted his sister. Jake shrugged his shoulders in response.

"I've got my finals you can come to if you need to unwind," Jake told Rebecca. "We made it to the last game so I'm inviting everyone to watch."

"Isn't that a lot of pressure?"

"All the more reason to play a good game," Jake nodded his head. "You in?"

"I'll do my best," Rebecca said and then looked over at Troy, "After I'm done my homework, of course."

"Count me in too," Troy nodded his head.

"Awesome, that's everyone," Jake said and then he had a look around. Gia and Emma still hadn't arrived, and school was going to start officially in just a couple of minutes. It wasn't like either of them to be late.

"There she is," Noah pointed out, and Jake looked the other way to see Gia coming up the street. As soon as she spotted them, she hurried over.

"Isn't your place that way?" Jake asked as he leaned in to kiss her. Gia made no move to acknowledge the greeting and instead looked around with worry on her face.

"I had a quick look around the woods. Emma was there this morning. She hasn't come home. I'm worried."

"Why was she out in the woods?" Troy asked.

"She tried to wake me up this morning," Gia said. "She wanted one last ride before summer ended."

"Have you tried calling her? Maybe she lost track of time?" Noah suggested. Gia sighed and nodded her head.

"I've called, texted, I've done everything. She's not answering. I've even texted Jordan to see if he can reach her. He says he left her a message this morning wishing her good luck for her first day. Not only did she not answer him, but she hasn't called him back. I'm really worried. This isn't like her."

"We'll help you look," Troy said and the two other boys nodded. There was really no question about it. Troy then turned to Rebecca, "Sorry, Becca, looks like you're on your own."

"But wait!" Rebecca called as the Rangers sprinted off, however they didn't hear her. She sighed. "I don't know where I'm going..."


	3. Mutant Return

Missing the first day wasn't the best way to start the school year but the Rangers had no choice. Emma hadn't turned up at school and she wasn't responding to any attempts her friends made at getting in touch with her. Worried something serious had happened, they needed to make sure she was okay. There was nothing more important than getting Emma back on the grid.

"This is the path she always takes," Gia said to the boys as she led them down a trail, "Especially when she comes biking alone. That way, if she's not home in time and something's wrong, we know where to find her."

"Smart, but it doesn't look like she's here," Noah pointed out as he had a quick look around. He then glanced down at his morpher, "It's weird. Her signal says she should be right here."

"Emma!" Troy called out and thought, hoped at this point, that maybe Emma had just taken a fall from her bike, and crashed somewhere off the trail and couldn't get up. He hoped that by calling out for her, she would call back.

"Emma!" Gia called as well and started to stray slightly from the path to have a better look around.

"Uh, Gia?" Jake said and Gia returned to the path only to find the black Ranger had wandered further along and was now focused on something that was out of sight for her. She, Troy, and Noah walked up to him and they saw what had Jake a little worried. "That's her bike, right?"

"She never leaves it," Gia nodded her head. "Not out of sight like this. She's got to be close. Emma!"

Noah started to examine the bike to see if maybe it was broken, forcing Emma to continue on foot. Not that he thought she would. He assumed that if her bike was broken or damaged she would walk it back home to be repaired. Still, Noah would leave nothing unchecked, and did as much investigating as he could on the bike. So far, it seemed to be in great condition, which was not exactly what he wanted to see.

Jake and Gia looked at the surroundings, checking behind trees and rocks to see if maybe Emma had taken cover from something. They also looked down drops and hoped she hadn't fallen, but they also hoped to find her. She didn't turn up.

Troy continued to search around the trail and he was looking for anything out of the ordinary. He spotted a little burst of pink that was too big to be a flower in the woods so he approached it. To his dismay, he saw it was Emma's backpack. Now this really wasn't good.

Before he could say anything, though, he felt something hit him hard over the head. The last thing he felt before blacking out was something catching him as he fell and dragging him away.

Over by Emma's bike, Noah, Jake, and Gia regrouped. Noah announced he found nothing wrong with Emma's bike, and that she had no reason to ditch it. In fact, it didn't look like she had taken a fall, which meant she had dismounted it intentionally. Her helmet placed carefully on the seat did confirm that suspicion from the beginning, but Noah wouldn't let the little details fool him.

"She can't just disappear," Jake stated and took Gia's hand to comfort her before looking around. "Find anything, Troy? Troy?"

"You mean we lost another one?" Noah had a quick look around for his leader. Jake and Gia searched and called out his name, but there was no answer from Troy. Jake got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He held Gia's hand tight and grabbed Noah's arm.

"Let's get out of here."

"But Troy and Emma…"

"We'll find them later, dude," Jake said. "Something weird is going on."

He dragged his best friend and girlfriend back to the opening of the woods where he then grabbed his morpher. The others did the same and they were teleported back to the command center.

"Gosei, what gives?" Gia called to their mentor while Noah rushed over to his console to start a search for Emma and Troy. Jake glanced over the blue Ranger's shoulder while he stood supportively behind Gia. "Emma disappears, you don't give us a call, and now Troy's gone."

"I've received no distress calls from them," Gosei announced. "They appeared to still be on Earth. Their vitals are fine."

"They're missing, Gosei," Gia shook her head. "Nothing's fine about that. You've got technology to fix Jake's head and my back, but you can't tell when one of us is in trouble?"

"Her mother's points," Tensou said to Jake. The black Ranger looked down at the little robot and shook his head. Tensou rolled over to a console, "I can begin a scan of the area they were last seen. I can bring up heat signatures as well as the signals from their morphers."

"You might want to get on it," Jake said. "Before she turns on you."

Tensou nodded his head. He quickly found the area where the Rangers had just been searching for Emma and replayed footage using their heat signatures to track them. Gia, Jake, and Noah knew where they had been so they focused their attention on Troy's movements. He seemed to walk off on his own just a little bit and then stopped for a moment.

"Looks like he's found something," Noah pointed out as Troy's signature folded over somewhat.

"What's that?" Gia pointed to a large, red, orange, and yellow mass on the screen. "That's got to be something, right?"

"Whatever it is, it's coming up right behind Troy," Jake said. "Now it's on top of him."

"It's taking him away," Noah said. "Well, I mean, Troy could be taking it away, but we know Troy wouldn't just leave like that."

"So he's in trouble," Gia said and glanced over to Gosei. "Troy's in trouble, and that means Emma's probably in a lot of trouble."

"Be very careful, Rangers," Gosei stated and morphed the teens right then and there. "In case it has been forgotten, the mutants roam these forests. Perhaps they have come out of hiding and decided to strike again. Do not underestimate their power, for their mutation has made them much…"

"Gosei, if you could please can it," Gia snapped. "We've made it this far without your help. Unless you can tell us something we don't know, you're wasting our time."

"Stick together, Rangers," Gosei said. Gia rolled her eyes and looked to the boys.

"It's up to us."

-Megaforce-

When Troy woke up, he found himself lying in the dirt. As his vision cleared and the room stopped spinning, he recognized the mutant's hideout. The cave tunnels and the technology were a dead giveaway. It was the mutants who had caught him off guard and they had brought him back for something.

He slowly got to his feet. He was surprised he wasn't restrained in some way, but figured the mutants had left him like that intentionally. While their intelligence, he doubted, matched Vrak's, they weren't stupid in the least. They wouldn't have overlooked locking him up so he couldn't escape.

And then it dawned on him that Emma was missing. The mutants had caught him by surprise right near where it appeared Emma had gone missing. It couldn't have been a coincidence. They must have had her as well. He wouldn't leave, not without her. He found his footing and started to make his way out of the room he had been dumped in and further into the tunnels. She had to be nearby.

Suddenly, he heard voices. He pressed himself up against a wall and slowed his breathing. He was completely silent and motionless as Bluefur and Bigs walked past. Troy couldn't catch everything they were saying, but they mentioned Emma. Either they were going to check up on her, or had just been with her. Troy decided he would avoid them until he felt a little stronger and went in the opposite direction.

The mutants had just been with Emma. Troy walked into the room they came from and found what appeared to be their lab. They had a few pieces of technology, nothing like Troy had seen in Vrak's lab in the future, but for a bunch of mutated animals it was quite impressive. There was a computer on one end of the room that seemed to be running, a table in the middle of the room, which looked strangely enough like a surgical table, and on the other end Troy found Emma. She was floating in a tube of liquid, unconscious and motionless. He ran over to the tube containing her and knocked on it, hoping to arouse her and get her attention but she didn't respond at all. Troy stepped back, checked out the tube one more time and saw it was connected back to the computer on the other side of the room.

"Man, I wish Noah were here," he said as he hurried over to the computer and did his best to figure out what it was doing and how to stop it. He couldn't understand anything that came up on the screen except the very basic information: Emma's height, her weight, her approximate age, gender, and the fact that she was human. "Why couldn't there just be a release button?"

Troy looked at the keyboard for the computer but he didn't know what to do and was too scared of hurting Emma to try anything at random. His eyes strayed over to the escape key, but he couldn't take the risk. He walked back over to the tube and touched the glass, "I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Or, you could join her," Bluefur announced and Troy turned around. He had a massive headache from being hit over the head, and was sore from being dragged down into the tunnels, but seeing Emma helpless now he was ready to fight.

Only he didn't have his morpher on him. When he reached for his bag he felt his back was empty. Of course they wouldn't risk him bringing along his morpher with him. They likely dumped the bag when they kidnapped him.

He was a skilled martial artist. He had been training since he was a young boy, and he had trained with some of the best. For several months, though he hadn't known it at the time, he had been taught by a former red Ranger – from the Samurai team, no less. He had skills that surpassed most, if not everyone in his age range, and possibly most with more experience in the art.

But he wasn't an idiot. Bluefur wasn't a regular opponent. He didn't fight with honour or respect. Given the chance, he would do to Troy what he had done to Emma, or worse. Troy didn't want to leave, especially with Emma so vulnerable, but if he tried to fight Bluefur he knew he was going to lose. His best shot, and Emma's best shot, was if he ran. Troy waited for Bluefur to charge him, and then jumped out of his path. The big monster's momentum pushed him forward while Troy ran the other way, to the door.

"Bigs!"

Troy knew he had a way out now. Bigs was dangerous, but he was a little too big to be fast enough to catch him. Troy followed the biggest tunnel until he reached the surface and then he continued to run. He didn't know where he was going exactly but as long as he made it back into the city and to a phone he could reach his friends. They could help him.

He glanced over his shoulder as he ran. This was part of being a leader that he hated. He never wanted to put his teammates in danger, but he knew he had to make the right decision and save himself. He had a better chance at getting out alive and he had a better chance of helping Emma.

He just hoped she would be alive and alright by the time he came back with help.


	4. Shouldn't Have Come

Troy stumbled through the woods as he tried to find his way back to the city. He knew approximately where the mutants' hideout was, but his head hurt too much for him to do much thinking to figure out where he needed to be. All his energy was concentrated on getting somewhere safe, no matter where that was.

He was fortunate enough to make it back to the spot where he had been kidnapped. He found his bag in the dirt and picked it up. His morpher was inside. He grabbed it and put it up to his mouth.

"Gia, Jake, Noah?"

"Troy, is that you?" Gia answered him.

"Who else would it be?" he asked and rolled his eyes.

"Where are you? We were just on our way to the old factory."

"I'm back where we were looking for Emma," Troy said. He had a look around and then sighed, "I know where she is. Noah, I'll need your help."

"Can you come meet us?"

"You three come here," Troy told her. He didn't want to start wandering the woods along, especially with the mutants possibly out for his capture.

"Alright, we'll be there soon," Gia promised. Troy set his morpher back in his bag, which he then put over his shoulder, and walked back to where Emma had left her bike. He thought of her trapped in the tube and couldn't stop himself from wondering what the mutants could have possibly wanted with her. He knew that whatever it was, it wasn't good, but it troubled him to think of one of his teammates in danger.

He took a seat beside the bike as he waited and massaged the side of his head, hoping that would help with his headache. It was then he heard some rustling in the leaves and he jumped to his feet. He pulled out his morpher from his bag and he was ready to face the mutants when they jumped out.

Only it wasn't the mutants, it was his sister. Troy tried to hide his morpher, but in his eagerness to get it out of sight it slipped from his hands. Rebecca walked over to him and picked up the morpher for him.

"That's a funny thing," she gave his morpher to him. Troy frowned at her as he took it and put it in his bag.

"You should be in school."

"You too," Rebecca smirked. "You should have been in school, at least. Classes are over."

"Why aren't you at home, then?"

"You're supposed to walk me home, remember?"

"So you came all the way out here, by yourself, instead of home?"

"You and the others were talking about how Emma was late and that wasn't like her. I was worried something happened," Rebecca said. "I want to help."

"Becca…"

"That's not a no."

"No!"

"Too late. Besides, what could go wrong?" Rebecca reached into her bag, "I've got the red Ranger looking after me. And besides, you wouldn't be doing anything too dangerous yourself, would you?"

"I… Look, Rebecca, I can't explain. Emma's still missing; we're not exactly sure what kind of trouble she's in, so you need to go home."

"Alright, then maybe I'll ask your parents if they can buy me one of those cool Ranger morpher things," Rebecca smirked at Troy as she pointed to his bag. "You know, a lot of the newspapers print pictures of the Rangers and their weapons. I know that thing is called a morpher. They don't sell some like that in stores."

"Yeah, they do," Troy shifted uncomfortably. Rebecca shook her head.

"No, the ones in the store are plastic. Yours feels like it's metal. It's light, though, like plastic. And the paint didn't scratch when it fell."

"What's your point?"

"On a scale of paper cut to death, how dangerous is this missing?"

"Go home, Rebecca."

"But…"

"Go home. If you knew this was dangerous why did you come out here?"

"I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I…"

"You need to stay safe. Go home, before something happens."

"But Troy…"

"We'll talk about this at home," Troy shook his head. He grabbed Rebecca's arm, put Emma's bike in her hand and then shoved her down the trail. Rebecca took the bike and looked over her shoulder. She frowned at her brother. Then, just as she tried to take a step forward she stopped. When she looked down the trail she saw three Rangers standing before her.

"This is a Ranger mission," she breathed.

"What's going on here?" yellow asked. Well, Rebecca assumed it was yellow. She couldn't see mouths moving because of the helmets. She was pretty certain it was the yellow Ranger speaking to her.

"I came to help!"

"Go home, kid."

"Shouldn't he come with me?" Rebecca pointed to her brother.

"He's messed up in this mission," the blue Ranger shook his head. "And you will be soon too if you're not smart."

"We'll take care of your brother, we promise," the black Ranger added. He was elbowed in the ribs by the yellow and blue Rangers and Rebecca knew why. She chuckled a little bit and then looked over her shoulder. Troy had dropped his head and was shaking it, seemingly disappointed in the Rangers for the little slip.

"Friend, you idiot," blue whispered to black, "Always assume two people are friends."

"Sorry," black muttered back.

Rebecca decided it was time to officially let the cat out of the bag, before the Rangers got each other into trouble for it. She was already certain her brother was the red Ranger, and allowed herself to assume that the friends he hung out with, who also always wore the same colours every day, were his teammates.

"Guys," she chuckled but that was all she could say when something knocked her off her feet as a blast hit where she, Troy, and the Rangers were standing. She hit the ground hard and Emma's bike fell on top of her. She pushed it off as the smoke cleared and then looked up. A giant blue monster was standing before and hand his hand stretched out as if he wanted to grab her. She let out a cry and tried to crawl away.

"Leave her alone!" Troy suddenly shouted and Rebecca saw him jump into action, morphing before her very eyes. He leapt over her and kicked the big monster right in the chest, forcing him to stumble back. Rebecca watched in awe as her brother landed on his feet and stood before her protectively.

"Get out of here, Rebecca. We'll handle this."

"I knew it!"

"Leave!" Troy shouted and looked over his shoulder for just a moment to yell. That was enough time for the monster to grab him. Rebecca called out for him, and then looked around to see what was holding up the others. She noticed a big blob of a monster fighting the other three. They seemed to know she and Troy were in trouble, but they couldn't get away from their fight to help.

"Rebecca, run!" Troy shouted to her again as he tried to break free of the big blue monster. Rebecca got to her feet and then suddenly fell as pain shot up her leg from her ankle. She had gotten it caught in Emma's bike when it fell on her, but she thought she had avoided injury when she pushed it away. She had been wrong, and now she couldn't run.

"Two for the price of one," the big, blue monster could hold Troy with one of his massive arms while the other grabbed her. With ease, he threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey! Let me go, you overgrown blueberry!" Rebecca shouted and punched him in the back. Her hits didn't seem to hurt him at all.

"Bigs, we'll gather the other Rangers later! Let's go!"

"No!" Jake shouted when he saw his step-sister had gotten herself in a lot of trouble, and as a result, Troy was in trouble too. Bluefur was getting away with both of them. He tried to run after the blue monster but felt something wet and sticky hit him in the back. He fell forward into the dirt and by the time he was up the mutants were gone, and they had taken Troy and Rebecca with them.

"This stuff's nasty," Noah said as he looked at the slime that covered him. He tried to wipe it off, but it stuck to his arm.

"At least it's not toxic," Gia pointed out as she too tried to clean off her suit but found the slime was sticking to everything she touched. As she tried to get it off her hand, she noticed she had a harder time moving her fingers.

"I'm stuck!" Noah cried out and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't bend his arm. Gia looked down at the slime that had coated her legs. She tried to take a step but her feet were glued to the ground.

"Aw, man! I've been turtled!" Jake cried out as he tried to roll on the ground, but the slime had coated his back, forming a shell like cast that kept him planted in the dirt. He waved his arms and legs but to no avail. He was stuck. "Gia! Noah! A little help!"

"Yeah, one second, Jake," Noah muttered as he walked over to a tree and tried to smash his arm into it, hoping the hardened slime would crack and fall off. Instead, he only managed to hurt his arm, "OW!"

"I can't move," Gia used her Tiger Claw but her weapon bounced off the shell. "We're all stuck."

"And Bluefur just got away with Troy and Rebecca," Noah looked over to Gia worriedly.

"I am never turning a turtle upside down again," Jake grumbled. "This isn't fun!"


	5. Stuck

Rebecca gulped as she looked around the monster's lair. She wasn't sure what she was seeing, but she knew it wasn't good. The big blob monster was working at a computer and seeing the computer was connected to the tube confining her, Rebecca assumed something was going to happen to her soon. The other monster was watching her and Troy, smirking to himself happily.

"I don't know why Vrak struggles with these Rangers so much," he said. Rebecca gulped. She turned to look at the tube that was holding Emma inside a liquid. She assumed that was what the blob was going to do to her and Troy and worried this was the end. Deeply, she regretted coming out to the woods to find her brother.

"Are you mad?" she asked him. Troy, who had been trying to break the tube so he could escape, looked over at her.

"A little bit," he answered her honestly. He saw the fear in her eyes. He knew she hadn't meant to cause trouble. Looking back at her behaviour over the last few weeks he could figure out she knew about his Ranger identity for a while. He had to admit it must have been exciting. That didn't mean he wasn't angry. "We'll talk when we get home."

"The others are going to save us, right?" Rebecca asked. "I mean, that's how this works, right?"

"This is real life, Rebecca," Troy said and he pointed to Emma's tube, "For all we know, she could be dead. They could just be preserving her body. That's why we need to be careful. Positive, but careful."

"Um, mister blueberry," Rebecca tapped at the glass. Bluefur turned to her with a little growl. She pointed to Emma, "What's that?"

"Research. Don't worry, you'll be a big help to us."

"Research for what?" Rebecca asked and then gasped as the same liquid that was holding Emma started pouring into her tube. She stood up and leaned against the back of the tube to take the weight off her sore ankle. She looked to Troy. Worried filled her eyes. He beat into the glass.

"Please, let her go," he begged Bluefur and Bigs. "She's not a Ranger. She's got nothing to do with this!"

"She's human," Bluefur stated. "She's just as responsible for all the pollution in this world as you and every other person on this planet. You need to be destroyed."

"She's just a kid," Troy said. "She's not responsible for anything."

"Leave them, Bigs," Bluefur announced as they started to make their way from the room. "We'll go pick up the other Rangers. I don't feel like listening to all this pathetic whining."

Troy beat the glass with his fist but to no avail. The liquid continued to pour into his tube and Rebecca's. When the mutants were gone he turned back to his sister and looked her right in the eyes.

"You're going to be okay."

"What if Emma is dead?" Rebecca asked. "Troy, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean… I just… I'm stupid, I know. I'm sorry."

"You're going to be okay. We'll get out of this," Troy assured her. "You just need to stay calm. The others are coming."

"What if this stuff kills us? Troy, I didn't mean to ruin everything! I just wanted to help!"

"It's okay, Rebecca."

"You're always coming home with bruises and you're feeling bad about stuff," Rebecca let herself fall to the floor of her tube and hugged her knees to her chest. "You're, like, the best big brother and when I found out you were the red Ranger and you were having these doubts about how amazing you were… I just wanted to help you like you helped me."

Troy got down on his knees and smiled softly to his sister, "You have helped me, Rebecca. That talk you gave me, before I went to Gia, was exactly what I needed. And you, mom, dad, and Ryan are the reasons I'm always trying to be the best Ranger. You give me a reason to fight."

"I'm really sorry, Troy."

"I know. We'll talk about this when we get home, okay?" Troy said. "I'll tell you everything you need to know about the Rangers and about staying safe."

"I promise I'll listen."

"I know," Troy nodded his head. "We're going to get out of this. You need to stay calm."

Rebecca gulped. She looked over at Emma's tube. The pink Ranger hadn't moved at all since they arrived.

"Look at me, Rebecca," Troy tried to bring her attention over to him as the liquid level reached her chin. "Stand up, stay calm, stay positive."

She nodded her head and tried her best to follow her brother's instructions.

-Megaforce-

Noah was examining his arms. They were covered in what had initially been slime that Bigs had shot them with, but now they were cased in a very strong, very rigid material. He tried all he could to break free but to no avail. Seeing Jake stuck on his back and Gia with her feet pinned to the ground he had an idea.

"Maybe the material is strong enough to break itself," he said as he walked over to Gia and swung his arms at her legs. The hardened slime didn't even dent, but he and Gia both let out a painful cry.

"Noah, just stop," Jake shook his head. "It's obvious we're stuck. Troy's going to find his way back again, he'll help us get free, and then we'll get Emma back."

"Hopefully Troy comes back with Emma," Gia muttered as she glared at Noah. "By the way, OW!"

"Sorry, it was worth a shot," Noah sighed. He sat down in the grass and continued to think of something else he could do to break his arms free. At that moment, he heard rustling from the bushes. He jumped up to his feet but he knew he couldn't defend himself. Jake was on his back on the ground so he ducked behind Gia.

"Oh, yeah, because I'll take him out," Gia rolled her eyes and pointed to her feet. "I'm a sitting duck, Noah. At least you've got clubs."

"Rangers!" it was Robo-Knight's voice. He emerged from the bushes and made his way over to the three Rangers. They had never been so happy to see him as they were now. Robo-Knight looked to each of them as he analyzed the substance that had them trapped in various positions. "What happened?"

"The mutants are back," Gia explained. "We think they've got Emma, and we know for sure they've taken Troy and his sister."

"We'd got to help them," Jake added, "But we're a little stuck."

Robo-Knight pulled out his blaster. Jake tucked his legs and arms into his body to shield himself. Noah lifted his arms up to hide, and Gia looked questioningly at the Robo-Knight while holding up one arm for protection.

"Robo…"

"I'm setting you free," Robo-Knight explained. "I've been out of action for a while, I understand that, but I remember we are a team. We need to help each other on missions."

He pointed his blaster at Gia's legs. She winced as she heard his weapon charging up. If Noah hitting his arms against her legs had hurt as much as it had, she couldn't imagine the pain that would come with getting shot.

Actually, she could, and she didn't want to have to go back to the hospital with another burn from being shot with a powerful blaster. She closed her eyes when he fired and then felt herself flying through the air. She crashed in a bush. She was a little sore and a little dizzy, but when she stood up and moved her legs she knew she was free.

"Gia!" Jake called out. Due to his position on the ground looking up, he couldn't see if she was okay or not. Gia hurried to his side and dropped to her knees. She smiled down at him.

"It's okay. We can trust Robo-Knight, remember?"

"Seriously, this soft spot for each other needs to stop," Jake said. He heard another blast go off and saw Noah flying overhead. "Robo-Dude, I get you mean well and we need to get the job done, but can you be a little gentle?"

"I'm fine, Jake," Noah coughed as he picked himself up. Jake let out a little sigh before he heard another blast and he felt himself flying through the air. When he landed, he landed on his stomach. He coughed and groaned as his muscles told him they wanted a little rest, but she pushed himself up to his feet and then smiled. He could see he wasn't trapped anymore.

"You okay?" Gia walked up to him and brushed some of the dirt off his shoulder. Jake nodded his head.

"We need to find the others," Robo-Knight said. Noah, Jake, and Gia turned to him and they all agreed. Robo-Knight tucked his blaster away and signaled to the Rangers that they should follow him.


	6. Informative Rescue

"Robo-Knight, this needs to be a rescue mission," Gia said as she broke away from the two boys to talk to the robot about the plan. "I think it's clear we're not going to be strong enough to take the mutants down…"

"I can handle the threats on my own," Robo-Knight said. "While we have them off guard, I can finish them up and keep the planet safe."

"We're walking right into their territory," Gia shook her head. "Robo-Knight, that's not smart. Troy and Emma could both be hurt, and we've got a civilian trapped too. We can't take any risks. We get our friends and we get out. We'll deal with the mutants another time."

Robo-Knight stopped and looked at Gia. She stopped and through her helmet she looked back at him. Neither seemed to want to back down.

"My mission is to defend the earth," Robo-Knight stated. "While I finally understand that we share the same goals and from time to time it will be beneficial to work as a team, I don't see the logic in attacking the mutants when they least expect it and then leaving them alive while we run."

"The logic lies in all of us getting out alive," Gia said. "Even if we could kill the mutants, Troy and Emma might be hurt, and we might get hurt. If that happens, who is going to stop Vrak from destroying the Earth?"

"If I receive some damage I could just be repaired," Robo-Knight said.

"We're not like that," Gia shook her head. "We don't know what the mutants have done to Troy and Emma, and if one of us gets hurt, we can't just be repaired and be on our way. Jake's already got chips in his brain to keep him alive and my back is still a little sore from injuries sustained while you were being repaired."

"Where humans are weak, I am strong."

"Robo-Knight, she's not saying to hold back against the mutants," Noah decided he would chime in. "If you get the opportunity, please, destroy as many as possible. But our top concern is getting Troy and Emma out safely. If that means we'll have to retreat, that's what we've got to do."

"You can protect your friends," Robo-Knight said. "Get them out of danger. I understand. However, I'm choosing to fight…"

"We're not leaving you alone in there, Robo-Knight," Gia shook her head. "We're a team. We stick together. Once we get Troy, Emma, and Rebecca, we need to get out. No ifs, ands, or buts."

"But…"

"Ah," Gia scolded with a shake of her head. Robo-Knight tried again to say something but she interrupted him again. He let out a sigh.

"Alright. We'll get the humans and as soon as possible we'll get out."

"We agree," Gia said and then she looked to the boys. The mutants' hideout wasn't far and Gia wanted to go inside with a plan, before they were caught off guard again. She pointed to Jake, "Think you can keep the uglies distracted? Noah, Troy said he would need your help earlier. You're going to help me get him, Rebecca, and Emma to safety."

"And we'll cover your backs," Jake promised and he looked to Robo-Knight, "Right?"

Robo-Knight sighed, but when he looked to Gia again and read her body language he could tell she couldn't be argued with. He nodded his head. "Right…"

"Good, let's go in," Gia commanded and the boys followed her. Robo-Knight looked over to Jake.

"Perhaps this isn't in my programming," he said. "But who put yellow in charge?"

"Hey, she knows how to keep you in line, right?" Jake shrugged. "Gotta respect that."

"She did not put me in line," Robo-Knight said. "I…"

"Face it, tin man, you lost that round," Jake chuckled.

Gia rolled her eyes and then held out her arm to stop the others from walking ahead. She remembered this hideout exactly from when she had come in to rescue Quinn from the mutants and Vrak. She knew the main room was just around the corner and that was likely to be where the mutants were waiting. If she was lucky, Emma, Troy, and Rebecca would be in there too. "We're here. Remember the plan?"

"Go in first, Robo-Knight," Jake said. "I've got your back."

Robo-Knight nodded and he stepped around the corner. He drew his blaster and aimed it around the room. When he saw there were no mutants he lowered his weapon and looked over his shoulder at Jake.

"No one is here."

"Yeah, you don't need scanners to figure that out," Jake muttered. He waved Noah and Gia over and they came out from behind the wall. Gia immediately noticed the tubes along the side of the room. Inside those tubes, her friends were floating in a liquid. Noah saw the computer and he saw it was hooked up to his friends so he went over to see what he could do to let them go.

"What is this?" Robo-Knight asked as he walked up behind Noah. Jake and Gia were over by the tubes to see if there was anything about them that they could figure out. Noah shrugged his shoulders and shook his head as he read over the information on the screen.

"They're gathering information, it looks like," he answered. He looked up at Robo-Knight, "Analysing us."

"Like an experiment?"

"Kind of," Noah nodded his head. "Oh man… this is bad…"

"What?"

"They've got samples," Noah said. "Blood samples, DNA samples, skin samples, and they're pulling information from that. Genetic information. Physical information."

"Like what?" Robo-Knight asked. He knew about human genetics. Unlike him, humans weren't built from technology and pieces of metal. They were created using information from a mother and a father. While they were all one species, every human was genetically different. Unlike robots, no two humans could ever be exactly alike. They were all born with a different set of skills, talents, strengths, and weaknesses. He understood enough to know that if the mutants had that much information on the Rangers, then the Rangers were in for a lot of trouble down the road.

"Rebecca's ankle is sprained pretty badly. She's broken her collar bone once… and from what I see, she was little when it happened," Noah read off as much as he could, "Troy's got a number of healed injuries from his past, I guess from practicing martial arts. He had pneumonia when he was younger. Emma… there's a lot more on her, but I guess that's because she's been here longer. Broken arms, twisted ankles, a skull fracture, every virus or foreign bacteria she's been in contact with over the last five years and how her immune systems has adapted over time to keep her healthy…"

Over by the tubes, Gia grumbled, "Yeah, BMX is completely safe, Em. Noah, just get to working on releasing them."

"This is fascinating," Noah said as he read over all the information the mutants managed to collect from his friends. "We should save all this. I mean, this is incredible, and it would help us figure out what the mutants know so we can stay a step ahead of them."

"Noah! Get them out!" Gia cried.

"Emma's family tree is coming up," Noah said. "From her, the mutants can get information from anyone she's related to in the city! From the description I'm getting, I can figure out what her mother looks like and... whoa, Gia, did you know Mrs. Goodall…"

"For goodness sake's," Gia stomped over and pushed Noah out of the way, "One, this information should be private. It's bad enough the mutants are collecting this. Two, we have a mission, Noah!"

"Sorry," Noah took over at the computer again. "I get a little side tracked. All of this is amazing. I'll get to work, though."

"Thank you," Gia muttered but then her eye caught something on the screen. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for her eyes and brain to process. The screen changed to an alert that warned the Rangers the tubes were draining out the liquid. As they did so, Gia turned to the tubes to keep her eyes on what was happening. Her eyes started to water. No one saw because she was still morphed.

When the liquid was completely drained, the three inside the tubes collapsed to the ground. The tubes started to lift up. Gia ran to Emma and held her in her arms. Jake hurried over to Rebecca and picked his step-sister up. Noah walked up to Troy and shook him gently.

"Troy? Hey, Troy? Are you okay?" he put his fingers to Troy's wrist to feel for a pulse. The only thing the computer didn't tell him was whether or not his friends were alive inside the liquid. Feeling a pulse and feeling it was quite strong, Noah knew Troy would be okay. With a little help from Robo-Knight, he got the red Ranger to his feet. Troy then started to stir.

"What… where am…" Troy asked. He was a little groggy as he had a look around. He knew he was putting most of his weight on Noah and Robo-Knight because he didn't have the energy to stand up on his own.

"You remember the mutants?" Noah asked. Troy nodded his head and then his eyes widened.

"Rebecca!"

"She's fine, dude," Jake said as he carried her over so Troy could see. Rebecca was starting to wake up and when she didn't recognize where she was she started to panic. Jake brought her over so Troy could know she was okay and so Rebecca could calm down.

"Just a sprained ankle," Noah explained as Troy reached out to his sister and took her hand. He offered her a warm smile so she would know the danger had passed.

"We'll go back to the command center," Gia said as she lifted Emma, who was also starting to come too but was very confused about her surroundings. "We'll get them checked out by Tensou and Gosei, and then we'll take them home."

Robo-Knight put away his blaster, "I guess mutant destruction will have to wait for another time."

"Yeah, he's got a point. We're already pretty lucky," Jake said. "We should get out of here before thing one and thing two come back."

He took his morpher from his belt and called into it, "Beam us up, Tensou."


	7. Wish It Wasn't

Just like she said, Gia brought Emma to the command center to be checked out, and when Tensou said there was no long term damage from being trapped inside the liquid, and Emma just needed some rest, she brought the pink Ranger home. By sneaking in the back door, she managed to slip past Mrs. Goodall and took Emma up to her bed.

"Tensou said I was fine," Emma reminded Gia when she noticed her best friend had a troubled look on her face. "I feel a little sick, but it'll pass."

"Yeah, I know," Gia tucked Emma in and then left the door open just a crack. "Call if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Emma nodded her head and rolled over in bed to sleep. Gia walked out silently and in the hall she bumped into Mrs. Goodall.

"I didn't hear you come home," she said. "Dinner's almost ready. Where's Emma?"

"Long day," Gia answered. "She wanted to get some rest."

"It's only the first day," Mrs. Goodall chuckled. "Senior year is a lot of pressure, but if she's already having a hard time on the first day…"

"Emma isn't a Goodall, is she?" Gia interrupted and crossed her arms over her chest. She shot Mrs. Goodall a stern look. Mrs. Goodall looked back to her, completely confused. Gia continued, "Mr. Goodall isn't her father."

"Of course he is. Gia, I know I haven't always been the greatest mother or wife, but I'm positive… why do you think this?"

"Who is her father?"

"Jeff is. Mr. Goodall. Gia, what are you going on about? Where are these accusations coming from?"

"What accusations?" Mrs. Moran asked as she came up the stairs and looked to her best friend and daughter quizzically, "What's going on here?"

"Can you please convince your daughter that whatever crazy thought she has in her head, she's wrong," Mrs. Goodall sighed. "She's saying Jeff isn't Emma's father."

"Is he?"

"Of course!" Mrs. Goodall cried and looked shocked at Mrs. Moran. "Vanessa, why would you even assume otherwise?"

"Well, the only time I remember you and Jeff being happily married was on the honeymoon," Mrs. Moran shrugged her shoulders. "As soon as you two came back, it was rocky."

"We had Emma to try and save our relationship," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "I know it was stupid, and I know it didn't work, but…"

"Mr. Goodall is not her father."

"Gia, please," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "What put this thought in your head? Who told you this?"

"No one. I know," Gia said.

"Your room," Mrs. Moran pointed to her door. Gia rolled her eyes but instead of retreating into her room, she went into Emma's. Mrs. Goodall, with tears in her eyes, walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Mrs. Moran followed.

"Claire…"

"Why couldn't you back me up there? Vanessa, these accusations are ridiculous, and if Gia tells Emma… I could lose her again over nothing!"

"Emma means the world to Gia," Mrs. Moran sighed. She sat down at the table with Mrs. Goodall and took her hand. "Do you remember Christmas 2002? You left that morning with Jeff on vacation and dropped Emma off at the door? You thought she was crying because she didn't want you to leave."

"I was a horrible mother, I know," Mrs. Goodall said. "I'll never live it down, I know…"

"Emma was used to you being gone," Mrs. Moran said. "She was excited to be spending Christmas day here. She was crying because she thought Santa had forgotten her. You never bought her Christmas presents. We weren't expecting her, so we didn't have anything either."

"There goes another mother of the year award," Mrs. Goodall grumbled. "Rub it in, why don't you. So, what? Is Gia mad at me for that?"

"Joe searched the city for a little something to calm her down," Vanessa shook her head and continued to explain. "But Gia had something else in mind. She wrapped up all her best gifts and gave them to Emma. She told her Santa had misplaced the gifts, likely because he got distracted by the cookies and chocolate milk she left out for him. Emma was thrilled."

"That was sweet of her," Mrs. Goodall said. "I'm sure when Joe came back, though, she got…"

"She never told Emma," Mrs. Moran said. "When I tucked her in that night, I told her how sweet she was for sharing her presents. When I promised her we would go out to buy new toys to replace the ones she gave away she told me we didn't have to. Christmas is about sharing joy with the people we love most, and she was happy she got to cheer Emma up. Gia… Claire, I don't know how she feels about you, but she would never do or say something so hurtful if it affected Emma. I don't doubt you know who Emma's father is, but if Gia's saying these things… there's a reason. We can't ignore it. We need to get to the bottom of this."

"She's wrong, though, Vanessa. No one else could possibly be the father. I hadn't met Oliver yet and he was my one steady boyfriend in all that time. There's no way."

"Let's get to the bottom of this," Mrs. Moran suggested again, "I'll talk with Gia. Maybe I can figure out where she's getting these theories from. You need to find a way to collect a DNA sample from Jeff."

"DNA?"

"Paternity test," Mrs. Moran nodded. "I know my daughter. She's not going to let this go until she has proof she's wrong. I'm on your side, Claire, but I'm not going to let my daughter believe I don't trust her. Besides, you have nothing to worry about, right?"

"When it comes to results, no," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "However, what am I going to tell Jeff? We may have been shitty parents, but one thing you can't deny is how much we both love Emma; even if we expressed it in a strange way. If Jeff thinks there's a chance he's not her father…"

"Claire, relax. You and Emma will be safe. I won't let him hurt either of you."

"It's not us I'm really worried about," Mrs. Goodall looked up at Mrs. Moran, "It's Gia."

"Gia? Why?"

"These are her accusations. If Jeff finds out… Vanessa, you were there. He pulled a gun on her for something Joe did. If he finds out this started with Gia, and that she's the one trying to take Emma from him… I'm worried he won't keep a calm head. I don't want to ask him for a DNA sample. I don't to risk putting either of the girls in danger like that. You're just going to have to take my word for it. No one else could be Emma's father."

"If you're sure," Mrs. Moran said and then started to climb the stairs to talk with Gia. She knew she had gone into Emma's room so she knocked then entered. Emma rolled over in bed. She saw Mrs. Moran coming in and sat up.

"I'm fine."

"I'd hope so," Mrs. Moran said. She turned on the lights and couldn't see a hurt or upset look on the pink Ranger's face or in her eyes, so she assumed Gia hadn't shared her suspicions with Emma yet. "How was your first day at school?"

"I never went," Emma said. "I was out riding this morning when I saw a hurt deer."

"Emma…"

"No, it's not that. A mutant came out. He kidnapped me, brought me back to his lair and… I don't even really remember what happened. Next thing I know Gia's holding me and I'm covered in… goo. The others say the mutants were gathering information."

"What kind of information?"

"A lot of biological information. Apparently, they know every bone I've broken, every sprain I've had, and every illness I've suffered in the last five years. There were several tubes, so I guess the mutants were trying to get several samples. Tensou already checked me over. He said the liquid I was being held in wouldn't have any long term effects. I'm just a little sore and tired right now."

"Alright, rest up, then," Mrs. Moran tucked Emma back into bed and kissed her forehead. "Just one question."

"Yeah?"

"Where's Gia?"

"She went to the command center. She seemed pretty upset about something. She says she just wants to double check I'll be okay."

"I'm sure you will," Mrs. Moran nodded. "Can I go with her?"

"My morpher is in my bag," Emma said. Mrs. Moran got the bag and reached inside to collect it. She put it in her hands and already she knew how to use it. Emma had taught her in case anything were to happen and she and Mr. Moran needed somewhere secure to hide. "Bring it right back."

"Promise," Mrs. Moran said and then she disappeared. She reappeared in a heap on the floor, groaning from being dropped. She would never be used to teleportation.

"I'm sorry, yellow Ranger," Mrs. Moran heard Tensou say and looked over to see he was talking with Gia. "These two samples just do not match. I can try again for you, but the results are going to be the same."

"Tensou, they've got to match. There's no one else. Are you sure you aren't wrong?"

"Positive," Tensou nodded. Mrs. Moran got to her feet and walked over to Gia. She put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. Gia saw it was her mother and sighed.

"I'm not letting this go until I have an answer," Gia said. "Mutants kidnapped Emma and…"

"I heard. They got information. You saw something that said Jeff wasn't Emma's father?"

"From what the mutant's computers could figure out, the physical descriptions were all wrong. I mean, it could be wrong, but isn't it strange the computer managed to come up with someone describing Mrs. Goodall almost perfectly, but Mr. Goodall was… well, not Mr. Goodall."

"So?"

"So, I asked Mrs. Goodall about it. She says there's no way, so there's got to be an explanation. Tensou says that when he and Gosei selected us, they collected DNA from our parents to scan for any genetic weaknesses. Tensou's using that same sample, which he's positive is from Mr. Goodall, and I believe him, and he's saying Mr. Goodall is not genetically related to Emma."

Mrs. Moran got down to her knees and looked to Tensou with a little smile, "You're absolutely certain of the results?"

"The Rangers' health and safety is my top priority, Vanessa," Tensou nodded his head excitedly. "I collected these samples from you and the other parents myself. And these paternity tests don't lie."

"I trust you, Tensou, but I need to see for myself," Mrs. Moran said. "Take a sample right now from Gia and me and test them out."

"If that's what you want," Tensou said. A little latch on his body opened up and he reached inside to pull out two cotton swabs. He used one to rub against the inside of Mrs. Moran's cheek and the other for Gia's. He then pulled the cotton swabs back inside his body and ran the test. "It'll be a couple of minutes."

"Mom…"

"I went through hell giving birth to you," Mrs. Moran said. "I have no doubt you're mine, and if Tensou's results say that, I'll believe him and you. If they don't, we have reason to question what's going on. Sound fair?"

"Very," Gia nodded and then took a seat on the floor to wait for Tensou's word. Mrs. Moran had another plan in mind and walked up to Gosei. She knocked on his head. Gia watched her mother and frowned. "What are you doing?"

"We need to talk," Mrs. Moran explained. Gosei's eyes lit up. He saw Mrs. Moran in the command center and groaned loudly.

"You've been banned."

"I promised to respect that ban as long as you promised to stop using my daughters as shields for the planet. Looks like we were both disappointed," Mrs. Moran shook her head. "Now, what's this I heard about you getting Tensou to collect DNA samples from me and my husband without my permission?"

"The collection was non-invasive and necessary to ensure we picked the best of the best of humans to become Rangers. We needed the strongest, most adaptable, and physically fit teenagers if we wanted the human race to stand a chance against the Warstar army."

"I don't like you," Mrs. Moran growled. "To me, you're just as dangerous to my girls as that Vrak alien and those ugly ass mutations that run around the city. You're a different dangerous, but you're just as dangerous."

"Mrs. Moran, I assure you, the Rangers' health and safety are my top priority. While you may not approve of my methods, you have my guarantee that I am doing all I can to protect your daughter."

"Daughter_s_," Mrs. Moran growled. "I have two, remember. And if I lose either of them to this stupid hero business, you will have hell to pay."

"Mrs. Moran…"

"My husband is already dead because of you. My daughter was almost killed. Emma was kidnapped by mutants? And what have you been doing? Hanging on this wall?"

"Mrs. Moran…"

"I've got my eyes on you," Mrs. Moran said and then suddenly she disappeared. Gia jumped up to her feet.

"Gosei!"

"She is at home," Gosei promised. "Tensou, Gia's results, please."

"Mrs. Moran is your mother," Tensou said. "It's as I promised, my results are accurate."

"I wish they weren't," Gia sighed. "Thanks anyways, Tensou. I'll let my mom know."

"Yellow Ranger," Tensou called and he grabbed her hand. "I wish they were different too."

Gia nodded. She took out her morpher and teleported away. She reappeared in her bedroom and fell back into her bed.

"This isn't fair," she whispered.


	8. The Dangerous Truth

When Troy felt well enough to go home, he teleported from the command center his sister in his arms. Tensou had looked over her ankle, saying the sprain was pretty bad, and he immobilized it. Rebecca couldn't walk into the house so Troy needed to carry her up the stairs to the porch and through the door. When Mr. and Mrs. Burrows saw her coming in with what looked like a broken foot, they panicked.

"What the hell happened?" Mr. Burrows asked as Troy set Rebecca down on the couch and Mrs. Burrows grabbed some pillows to make her comfortable.

"We were out in the woods after school," he said. "She fell. Klutz."

Rebecca bit her lip and didn't say anything. She still felt badly for what almost happened to her, her brother, and his teammates. She hadn't meant to cause trouble, but because she didn't think she put everyone and the world in danger.

She put the pieces together a little while back. Her brother would come home with unexplained bruises and cuts, usually just after a monster attacked the city. He was never around when there was a monster, and the one time he was by her side during an attack, she later found out the red Ranger had been missing from battle. He was a skilled martial artist and always said he was going out to the woods to train. He always wore red and hung out with friends who always wore the other Ranger colours. He was strong, brave, and compassionate like the red Ranger, and she knew he was always standing up for the innocent. Really, if her brother wasn't the red Ranger then someone, somewhere, screwed up.

"Here, some ice," Mrs. Burrows said and gently placed the ice-pack down on Rebecca's ankle. Troy continued to fabricate a story about what happened to her to Mr. Burrows. He was getting much better at creating cover ups. Mrs. Burrows put her hand on Rebecca's shoulder, "Do you need anything else, sweetheart?"

She shook her head. Mrs. Burrows picked up the remote control and handed it to her. She kissed her forehead before going back to the kitchen to continue making dinner. Troy convinced Mr. Burrows to leave as well. Then he grabbed the remote from Rebecca and turned on the TV.

"I thought we were going to talk," she whispered. Troy nodded his head and turned up the volume.

"They're in the other room. I don't want them to hear us," he said. Then he looked to his sister, "Rebecca… what the hell were you thinking?"

"I just wanted to help."

"With what? Rebecca, I'm a Power Ranger. I fight monsters who will kill you. What you did was so dangerous and so stupid…"

"I'm sorry…"

"I don't care if you're sorry," Troy shook his head. "I don't care if you regret it. I don't care if you feel bad. All I care about is what you've learned. Is this something you're going to do again?"

"No, I promise," Rebecca looked her brother right in the eyes and put her hand over her heart. "I'll never, ever interfere like that in a mission again. I just… it's cool, you know. My brother is a Power Ranger!"

"Shh," Troy covered her mouth and looked over at the kitchen. His parents hadn't heard a thing. He sighed, uncovered Rebecca's mouth and then looked her right in the eyes, "Knowing this secret can get you killed."

"I'll be careful…"

"It's more than that. Just being my sister put you in a lot of danger. Now that you know, you're involved. You're going to try and stay out of Ranger business, but it'll find you."

"I…"

"Three other non-Rangers know," Troy said. "Like you, they put the pieces together."

"Who?"

"Just so you have somewhere to go in case something happens, I'll tell you," Troy growled. "But this isn't… you don't talk to them about this, am I understood? The less you talk about this, the safer you'll be."

"Okay, I promise," Rebecca nodded. "Who knows?"

"Ms. Chesterfield knows."

"She does? Who is she?"

"The school vice-principal," Troy chuckled and remembered Rebecca had only attended school for one day and likely didn't know the names of her teachers just yet. "And one of our teachers, I won't say who, is a former Ranger. He told her when he thought it was necessary. Now that she knows, it'll be easier to sneak in and out of school for missions, without getting into too much trouble."

"One of our teachers was a former Ranger? Is it my science teacher? Burley? I knew there was something not quite right with him."

"Not Mr. Burley," Troy shook his head. "Becca, really? Does he look like he can be a Power Ranger?"

"Former," Rebecca reminded her brother. "He could have lost the physique over time…"

"Not Burley," Troy said. Rebecca shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay. You said three non-Rangers know. Ms. Chesterfield is one; mystery teacher is a Ranger, so that doesn't count. Who are two and three?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Moran."

"Gia's parents? Wait, but her dad's dead… oh."

"Yeah. Rebecca, I know it's cool to know who the Power Rangers are, but you're in so much more danger now that you know. You can't come running after us to help in a mission, no matter how safe it looks. You can't talk about what you know to other people, even people who know. The monsters we face are nasty. They'll kill you in seconds just because you're related to me. I don't want to see that happen."

"I'm sorry, Troy…"

"It's okay," Troy sat next to his sister and wrapped his arms around her. "The important thing is we're both okay and you know better now."

"I almost got us all killed," Rebecca lowered her head. "How is that okay?"

"You know better now."

"But…"

"Rebecca, it's okay. It all worked out."

"Would you be angry with me if I didn't? If Emma died, or if you died, or the others, or me? You'd be really mad, wouldn't you?"

"You're my little sister," Troy chuckled. "I guess I'm going to have to get use to you doing stupid stuff that makes me mad. But the stakes are a little higher now, so you need to be careful with all the stupid things you do. I don't want to see you get hurt, okay?"

"Alright," Rebecca sighed. Troy hugged her again but seeing she was still very upset with herself he knew he had to do something to cheer her up. "Alright, Becca, what if I gave you a special mission?"

"But I thought…"

"You can be the red Ranger of the family."

"The… huh? Aren't you the red Ranger of the family?"

"I don't want to see you, my parents, or Ryan getting hurt," Troy said. "I'm not always going to be around to protect you."

"Suicide mission?"

"No…" Troy dropped his head and sighed. "Ranger battles cause a lot of damage in the city."

"Oh yeah. Those big machines you use to kill the super big monsters."

"I can't pause a fight and tell you and the others to get to safety. When Loogies or aliens attack, I do what I can to keep you all safe, but sometimes I can't be there to tell you to stay calm and lead you all to a place where you won't get hurt. If an attack happens in the neighbourhood, I can't come inside and tell you to evacuate. My teammates need me in the fight to help them. Now that you know, I want you to protect the others."

"You think I can do that?"

"You're my sister," Troy chuckled. "Of course you can do that. You just need to keep calm and find the best place to hide. Make sure you always have a supply bag packed so you can take care of Ryan in case something happens. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah," Rebecca nodded. "I'll keep the civilians safe," she smirked as she looked up at her brother, "I promise, I won't be stupid anymore."

"I trust you," Troy said. He leaned back against the couch with her and pointed to the TV, "What are we watching?"

"Cartoons," Rebecca picked up the remote. Troy groaned.

"Seriously?"

"Yes. My sprained ankle, my program of choice."


	9. The Hard Truth

Gia had Tensou print out a copy of the DNA test between Emma and Mr. Goodall so she could show Mrs. Goodall proof that she wasn't making up the fact that Mr. Goodall was not Emma's father.

Gia was up early in the morning. She had to go to school but she wanted to catch Mrs. Goodall before the day started. She was in the kitchen at five in the morning. She sat at the table with the papers in her hands. She couldn't tell Mrs. Goodall she had gotten results quickly from Tensou and so was coming up with a story to explain the papers. She was going to say she had been curious since she and Emma found out Mrs. Goodall had cheated on Mr. Goodall for a long time.

She heard footsteps coming down the stairs and knew it was Emma's mother. Her mother was still fast asleep. So was Emma. Mrs. Goodall had to be up for work. When the kitchen light came on, Mrs. Goodall let out a little cry, startled to see Gia waiting for her at the table.

"What are you doing up?" she asked as she walked over to start the coffee. "Nightmares?"

"Fortunately, no," Gia shook her head. She pushed the papers forward, "I have this."

"What is this?" Mrs. Goodall asked. She walked over to the table and looked down at the papers. She gasped, "Paternity results?"

"You said you cheated on Mr. Goodall."

"He is Emma's father," Mrs. Goodall said. She sat down and looked across the table, "Why would I lie about this? I'm trying to be a better person, Gia. I'm honest with Emma about everything."

"Except her father."

"Jeff is her father. Gia, why don't you believe me? Why don't you believe these results?"

Gia pointed to the papers again. Mrs. Goodall sighed and looked them over. Suddenly, they fell out of her hands. She froze up and stared at the empty space where the results of the paternity test had been. There was nothing but shock and horror in her eyes. Gia looked across the table with a frown.

"Wait… seriously? You didn't… you didn't know?"

"Emma was planned," Mrs. Goodall said and picked up the papers again to double check the results. "She… I mean… Jeff and I… we tried for a long time before we were pregnant. Our marriage was falling apart and… No. This has to be wrong."

"I don't want to believe it either," Gia sighed. "Emma doesn't need this, but I'm not lying to her. You don't owe me anything, but she needs to know the truth. If you don't tell her, I will."

"Gia… I don't even know what to say," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "I'm… shocked! I don't remember… I have no idea who the father could be! It was only Jeff at that time. I swear, Gia…"

"Yeah, that's a lie," Gia pointed to the results. "Babies don't just appear out of thin air."

"I… I…" Mrs. Goodall held her head in his hands and started to shake. She could feel her tears trying to force their way out but she couldn't cry. She had no right. This was shocking to her, but it was going to hurt Emma. Her daughter had suffered enough drama when it came to family and only recently things started turning around for her. It was bad enough the man she thought was her father was in jail for trying to kill her best friend, now Mrs. Goodall was going to have to tell her that man wasn't her real father and she didn't know who her father could be.

"You really didn't know, did you?" Gia asked. She got up and walked around the table. She put her hand on Mrs. Goodall's back. "Please, be honest with me."

"I didn't know, Gia. I swear… I'd have said something to her by now if I had. I'm not… I'm not hiding anything. I don't know."

"I can help you tell her," Gia said. "She'll… she'll have an easier time believing this is also news to her if I'm there supporting you."

"You don't have to…"

"If it's best for Emma then yeah, I do have to," Gia nodded her head. "Just… take the day to figure out what you want to say. I won't tell her anything while we're at school. We can talk to her at dinner. We'll break it to her gently."

"She's going to hate me," Mrs. Goodall couldn't help herself. She started to sob. Gia pulled her chair over, sat beside Mrs. Goodall and gave her a reassuring hug.

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen. I promise."

"Gia…"

"She'll need you now more than ever. She'll get angry, but I'll find a way to calm her down. I'll keep her on your side, I promise."

Mrs. Goodall looked up at Gia and smiled. She pulled the younger girl into her arms and hugged her lovingly.

"You were always great at taking care of her, Gia. Thank you."


	10. The First Day Back

_Author's Note: Hey guys! Well, its been a couple of weeks since I posted my deleted scene and I'm ready to share another one. I know school's back in session and everyone's back to their regular, busy routines (I know I am). I wanted to thank my most loyal reviewers and followers for all their support and feedback even through this busy time. Everyone who reviewed chapter 9 of "With Great Power" as well as reviewers whom I recognize as amazing supporters who, whenever possible, are kind enough to leave comments or feedback on my work can, if they want, receive the next deleted scene. Let me know, and I hope you all enjoy the chapter!_

_Just a reminder, I cannot PM anonymous reviewers._

* * *

High school was hard on crutches. It was even harder when she knew no one in school. The Rangers had all been called by Ms. Chesterfield to the principal's office because they had missed their first day of school and so Rebecca was left to fend for herself in the hallway with a badly sprained ankle and a bag full of books.

"Out of the way, new kid," a big kid walked up to the locker next to hers and seeing she was taking up a lot of his room, decided to push her out of the way. Rebecca had no balance and fell into the other guy going through his locker next to her. Frustrated she would push him, he pushed her back, and both the boys squeezed her away from her locker and pushed her on the floor.

"Hey! That's mean!" Rebecca said. The two boys looked at her, then each other, and then laughed. The collected their books and started to walk to class. It was then they bumped into Gia.

"Help her up," Gia said. The boys shrugged their shoulders.

"Who?"

"My friend," Gia pointed to Rebecca. "You pushed her over. Help her up."

"We have to get to class."

"She does too. Help her up."

One of the boys grumbled and put his books in his friend's arms. He walked up to Rebecca and held out his hand. He pulled her up to her feet and handed her her crutches.

"Now say you're sorry."

"Sorry…" the boy said. He took his books back from his friend and they rushed off to class. Rebecca looked over to Gia.

"Thanks."

"No sweat," Gia shrugged. "This school isn't exactly friendly with new students."

"Shouldn't you be with Ms. Chesterfield?" Rebecca started to gather up her books again while Gia held up her bag to make it easier to pack everything. The yellow Ranger nodded her head.

"She gave us our schedules. We've got private classes. You know, because of the Ranger thing."

Rebecca nodded her head and assumed that when they got together at school, Troy confirmed to the other Rangers that Rebecca knew who they were.

"Are you on your way to class, then?"

"Not quite," Gia shook her head. "I talked to Ms. Chesterfield about that idea we had. You know, talking to the ninth graders?"

"Yeah."

"She's on board with it. She says she really likes the idea. Apparently, she's seen a lot of kids start high school with a lot of potential, and then had to watch them throw their lives away over bad decisions. She actually wants the whole school to hear the presentation."

"The… the whole school?"

"We'll be anonymous," Gia reassured Rebecca and put a hand on her shoulder. "Ms. Chesterfield is going to have the drama club come up with some presentations based on information we give her."

"What kind of information?" Rebecca asked.

"How you got involved with drugs," Gia explained. "How you got pregnant…"

"Uh, can we skip the how? I think everyone knows how."

"How it happened. Like… what led up to it."

"That's better. I guess I can share that. And the drama students are going to write a play?"

"Ms. Chesterfield didn't say what, exactly. I think she wants the students to come up with something creative. We'll talk to her more about it over lunch."

"Am I eating lunch in the office?" Rebecca asked with a groan. "I thought I put those days behind me. That's not fun."

"Ms. Chesterfield is pretty cool," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "And it's the only time we'll have to talk, unless you want to do so after school?"

"Lunch it is," Rebecca chuckled. Then she and Gia heard the bell ring, which signalled the start of the school day. Rebecca groaned when she realized she wasn't sure how she was going to get around her new school on crutches when she barely knew where any of her classes were. Just as she was about to head off to figure something out, positive whatever she did, she would be late anyways, she felt Gia take her bag of books from her.

"I can be late. Dr. Oliver will understand," Gia smiled. "What's your schedule?"

"Science first period with Mr. Hurley."

"Burley," Gia corrected her. "That's a good class. Mr. Burley's great."

"He seems kind of weird," Rebecca said. "I don't think his head is screwed on straight."

"Probably not," Gia shook her head as she started to lead Rebecca down the hallway. "But he knows his stuff. That's probably the one class where I was never completely bored out of my mind."

-Megaforce-

Emma walked into class as the bell rang. Like Gia said to Rebecca, she and the other Rangers were in a special class. It was the same format Ms. Chesterfield had adopted for them at the end of their junior year, when she noticed the five of them were skipping classes quite a bit and falling behind. She could see a lot of potential in each of them, and rather than punish them with detentions she took matters into her own hands and tried to adapt the classes so they would be more motivated to learn. This year, she knew they were Rangers. Thomas Oliver, a teacher she hired to start working this year, had informed her that those five students were the Power Rangers. Ms. Chesterfield would take their secret to her grave, but knew something had to be done to help these kids. On a daily basis they put their lives in danger to protect the planet from monsters Ms. Chesterfield used to think only existed in nightmares. The least she could do was ensure they received a proper education.

Ms. Chesterfield had done a little shuffling, but she put all five of the Rangers in one classroom with Dr. Oliver as their teacher. She figured the best thing she could do for the current protectors of the Earth was give them a former Ranger as a teacher. Of everyone, Dr. Oliver would understand the trials of being a high school superhero. When she had to explain her decision to the principal, she simply stated that this was an experiment for future classrooms, and if the students did well, they could consider opening up more specialty classes.

Emma was looking down at her cell phone as she walked into class. This was her second full day without Jordan and she already missed him. They kept in touch through text messages, especially after the day before. Jordan liked knowing his girlfriend was a Power Ranger, but hated all the dangers that came with it. When he heard Emma had been kidnapped, he had almost driven himself crazy wondering if she was okay. Now, he was texting her almost non-stop to make sure she got to school safely and that she was never by herself and vulnerable.

"Emma…" Dr. Oliver said when he saw his student on her phone.

"Sorry, Jordan's freaked after yesterday," Emma quickly texted a goodbye to her boyfriend and put her phone in her pocket. She took a seat at her desk. Jake looked to her with a kissy face.

"You're texting Jordan? Aw, do you miss him?"

"Yes," Emma answered him with a straight face. "Not everyone is lucky enough to be in the same school as their partner. Much less the same class."

"Alright, alright, settle down, guys," Dr. Oliver said. The bell for class had rung, and though he could see he was one short, he decided he would get started anyways. Today was the first day for them, after all, and he had a lot to cover. "I'm sure this is an adjustment for everyone, but we're here to learn. Cell phones should be put away."

Emma made sure her phone was silent and tucked out of sight. Noah raised his hand and looked to Dr. Oliver.

"So, we all know why we're here. How is this going to work?" he asked. "I mean, do we get extended time for assignments if monsters attack the city? Can we suggest assignments?"

"Dude, no," Jake groaned and put his head down on the desk. "Come on, Noah, isn't it bad enough the teacher gives us assignments? You want to add more on top of that?"

"Yeah, you know, like something interesting," Noah nodded his head. Jake rolled his eyes and then his hand shot up.

"Do we get more field trips?"

Dr. Oliver was about to answer when the door opened and Gia walked in. He looked to the yellow Ranger and then pointed to the clock.

"I understand you're all a little confused about how this class is going to work out. I agree, this is a little strange for me as well. But I do expect you all to arrive on time."

"I was helping Troy's sister get to class," Gia explained. "She's on crutches."

"Monster attack," Troy said. "Thanks, Gia."

"Monster attack?" Dr. Oliver asked. "You mean the one that kept you from school yesterday? Troy, your sister got involved?"

"She knows," Troy nodded his head. "She's pretty smart when she wants to be. She figured it out by herself and then decided to come and help us out."

"That's going to happen," Dr. Oliver agreed. "Perhaps not people wanting to help out, but you are going to have civilians who think they can get in on the action somehow. Reporters who want a great shot or story. Kids who don't understand how dangerous your job can be."

Jake pretended to cough, "Jordan."

"Shut up," Emma frowned at the black Ranger, "He learned his lesson."

"I'm sure you've all experienced it before," Dr. Oliver said. "But I don't think it can be stretched enough. Your identities are secret for a reason. If you love and care about your friends and family, you'll do all you can to keep them out of harm's way. Troy, Rebecca knows she can't talk about this to anyone, right?"

"Yeah, she knows," Troy answered. "Like I said, she's smart when she wants to be. She learned her lesson the hard way."

"Jordan's good too," Emma nodded her head.

"Hey, wait a minute," Jake put his hand up again, "If our identities are secret, and they need to stay that way to protect the people we care about, why did you blab about us to Chesterfield?"

"That's a good point," Noah agreed.

"You guys needed help," Dr. Oliver answered. "Do you have any idea how many detentions my teammates and I got because we had to ditch school to save the world? Never mind how quickly all our homework piled up. It's stressful, and I knew this was the best way to help you. Ms. Chesterfield has only your best interest in mind and I knew she would be a safe choice."

Dr. Oliver picked up some papers from his desk and started to hand them around, "Look, we'll have time to talk about Ranger duties as the year goes on. Why don't we all start off with a little pop quiz?"

"Are you kidding me?" Jake dropped his head down on the desk and groaned loudly. Dr. Oliver chuckled.

"Relax, it's not graded and it's just revision from last year."

"I didn't study."

"No one studied," Gia chuckled. She looked down at her paper, "Jake, c'mon, this stuff is easy."

"For you," he grumbled.

"Alright, class, you have ten minutes. It's just short answers and multiple choice. Ms. Chesterfield said you were all gifted and bright students but I'd like to see for myself what I'm working with."

"Does anyone have a pencil?" Jake raised his hand. Noah didn't look up from his paper but chuckled to himself. Jake was good in school when he was committed, but getting him started in a new year was always a challenge. Dr. Oliver would have to come up with an interesting first lesson if he wanted to get Jake on board quickly.

"You can use mine," Gia offered Jake the pencil she was using. When he gave her a funny look, thinking she would need it to write out her test, she put the pencil down on his desk and then walked up to the front of the class with her paper.

"You're done?" Dr. Oliver asked her and looked over her answers. It didn't take him long to mark it. All the answers were correct. "Wow. Ms. Chesterfield wasn't kidding…"

"Done," Noah jumped up from his seat and handed in his paper, and then he stuck his tongue out at Gia. "If this had been all science questions, I'd have beaten you."

"Dream on," Gia shook her head. Again Dr. Oliver didn't need long to correct Noah's test.

"I'm going to have to come up with harder quizzes."

"Guys, you're killing me," Jake grumbled as he erased one of his answers. "You two know that some of us actually have to try to get into college, right?"

Suddenly, Troy and Emma started to move from their seats. When they saw the other was done at the same time it was a race to get their papers to Dr. Oliver first. Troy jumped over his desk while Emma sprinted quickly across the room. They put their papers down at the same time.

"Why don't you teach the Rangers?" Dr. Oliver grumbled as he picked up the papers. "You have experience. It'll be fun. Ms. Chesterfield doesn't know what she's talking about."

"How did we do?" Troy asked. Dr. Oliver graded the papers quickly.

"Ninety to each of you. I've circled the question you missed. And by the way, no flips, sprints, or jumps in the classroom. Training takes place outside."

"Sorry," both of them said as they looked over their papers. Emma then looked back up at the former Ranger.

"You know, considering the size of the class, it wouldn't be too difficult to email homework and assignments back and forth, and you could save a lot of paper."

"I'll consider it, Emma."

"Yes!" Jake said and put his hands up in the air, "Aha, go Holling!"

"Jake, are you done?" Dr. Oliver looked over. Jake glanced up and then shook his head.

"What? Oh, no. I got my first answer… why is everyone standing?"

"We're done," Noah smirked. Jake looked down at his paper, heard his friends chuckling and sighed.

"I have summer brain, alright! Just wait until gym class. I'll kick all your butts!"


	11. Without An Answer

While the girls were at school, Mrs. Goodall had a job to do, and her job wasn't made easier by the fact that she actually had a job to do.

Since moving in with Emma and the Morans, she picked up a job working as a receptionist for a small business. There wasn't a lot for her to do on most days. She worked for a man who offered natural remedies to patients who were suffering from chronic illnesses or pain and who had gone the medical route with no success. Mrs. Goodall didn't quite believe in some of the techniques he told her about on her first day, but she got paid to show up and book appointments so the job was good enough for her.

Today, fortunately, was quite slow, but there was still work to be done. Mrs. Goodall, too distracted with her family crisis, didn't notice as a man walked in. He was limping heavily and didn't appreciate having to call several times to get her attention.

"Excuse me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Mrs. Goodall shook her head and checked her computer. "Oh, Mr. Jones, you're right on time. Have a seat. Luke will be right with you."

As he took a seat, Mrs. Goodall reached to her papers on her desk. They had nothing to do with her job. They were the papers Gia had showed her that morning. They were the papers that proved Emma wasn't Jeff's daughter. They were the papers that spun Mrs. Goodall's entire world upside down.

She genuinely had no idea her very soon to be ex-husband wasn't the father of her daughter. She had no right to claim she had ever been a faithful wife. There had been problems between her and Mr. Goodall almost from the start of their relationship, which had been the reason they had drifted apart. While Mr. Goodall usually went from woman to woman, depending on who was new around the office and willing to sleep with a married man, Mrs. Goodall stuck to vacations and expensive dates with Oliver, whom she met only a couple of years after she married Mr. Goodall. She was positive Oliver wasn't Emma's father, though. She hadn't met him, never mind slept with him, until after Emma was already born.

There had to be someone else. Mrs. Goodall remembered a few men she slept with besides her husband long before Emma was born, and then remembered accompanying Mr. Goodall on a business trip and having a great time with him. When they came home, they talked about why they couldn't have that kind of relationship in their normal lives. In a way, they fell in love again and felt they could keep that love alive by bringing a child into the world.

Only it never worked. Mrs. Goodall underestimated how stressful and annoying being pregnant was, and while she had the fortune of suffering through it at the same time as Mrs. Moran, her luck ended there. Mr. Goodall could never understand why his wife was always so sick and tired, why he had to rub her feet at the end of the day even though he had been the one to work more than eight hours running around doing errands for his boss. He didn't understand why he had to do the dirty jobs around the house like cleaning the bathrooms or painting the nursery. Mrs. Goodall never felt supported by her husband. As the pregnancy went on and she needed him by her side more often, he decided to start going out with his co-workers more and more, and eventually out with other women. Mrs. Goodall couldn't understand why he wouldn't help her with their coming child, and Mr. Goodall couldn't understand why his wife was so whiny and tired.

When Emma was born, it was a different mess. Both parents underestimated the work that came with a child. Neither liked getting up in the middle of the night for feedings, though Mrs. Goodall was always the one who had to, Mr. Goodall always made a stink about how she would wake him up. Then, Mr. Goodall would work all day while Mrs. Goodall stayed home to care for Emma. She would usually get her daughter down for a nap around the time Mr. Goodall came home. He was always eager to play with his daughter and would wake her up every day. Emma's interrupted naps meant she was fussy later on in the evening, which put strain on both parents. Emma couldn't save their marriage. She could only point out where it was already broken. And the two parents were too frustrated and clueless on how to care for a baby, so they passed her on to the Morans most of the time, who seemed to know instinctively how to care for their own daughter.

During that time, Mrs. Goodall couldn't remember sleeping with any other men. As soon as she committed to having a child with Mr. Goodall, she slept with him and only him until the day she found out she was pregnant. Mr. Goodall had to be Emma's father. There was no other way it could be someone else.

But these papers said otherwise and they looked very real. She also knew Gia wouldn't lie about something like this, and if she had been the one to have the test done, then she would have done it right. These papers didn't look like they were the results from a home paternity test. They were the real deal. They were accurate.

Mr. Goodall was not her daughter's father.

She needed answers. She needed something to say to Emma. Her daughter's family life had already taken so many hits. Already, her parents had been irresponsible with her and passed her off to their friends to raise. While that had been the best decision they made in regards to Emma, it had damaged their daughter, who spent most of her life wondering why her parents didn't love her. Then, they abandoned her completely, with her father deciding to move to New York without her and her mother taking a long vacation with a boyfriend. When her father realized she wasn't with her mother and that his best friend wanted him to give away his rights as a father, he freaked out and decided he would get even. Emma's father got a gun and threatened to kill her best friend with it. Now he was in prison. Then, the man Emma really looked up to as a father died suddenly. To make matters more complicated, her mother, realizing everything she had lost by abandoning her daughter, decided to come back and wanted a permanent place in her life. Emma had a lot of fears, concerns, and questions about that and it put a huge strain on the already fragile relationship she had with her mother.

Finally, things were working out for Emma's family. She had a loving family with Mrs. Moran and Gia. Mrs. Goodall had figured out the best way to care for her. Emma was finally happy and comfortable in her home life. Of course, this would be the time where life would throw another curveball. While Mrs. Goodall doubted Emma wanted anything to do with Mr. Goodall as a father, she was sure this news was going to break Emma's heart.

However, it was a secret Gia knew and refused to keep from Emma. Mrs. Goodall admired that honesty and trust between the girls. She loved how they took care of each other, and hoped they would never lose that. Unfortunately, it meant Gia would not hide this secret. If it ever came out, and Emma found out that Gia knew all along, it would be even more damaging then if everyone was honest now. If Gia, a seventeen year old, could be brave enough to face the truth now, Mrs. Goodall knew she had to be too. This was her daughter, and Emma had a right to know who her father was.

So it pained Mrs. Goodall to know she didn't have an answer. Come the end of the day, her daughter was going to ask her a question no child should ever have to ask, and Mrs. Goodall wouldn't even have an answer ready for her.

As some customers came in and out of the building for their appointments, Mrs. Goodall put her brain to work, but by the end of the day, the biggest question still hung in the air: who was Emma's father?

"You can head home now," Luke, her boss, told her as he came out from his office with his bag all packed up and his helmet in his hand. "I'll see you again tomorrow, Claire."

"Yeah, have a good evening."

"You too," he smiled at her and then walked out. Mrs. Goodall picked up the keys and locked up as she left. Then she walked over to her car. As she searched through her bags for the set of keys to open her car she saw a big shadow on the ground of someone coming up behind her. Before she could turn around to see who it was she was frozen solid. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't move.


	12. Red Ranger's Little Sister

"My soccer game is tomorrow after school," Jake announced to his teammates as the final bell rang and the students were granted freedom after their second day at school. While his friends packed up their bags, Jake felt he had to remind them all that they had to watch him play. His team had made it to the final game, and Jake had a good feeling his team would get to bring home the first place trophy. He wanted everyone to be there, especially his friends.

"We know, Jake," Troy assured him. "We won't miss it."

Jake smiled when he saw all his teammates nodding. He picked up his bag, threw it over his shoulder and then rushed out. With only one day before the big game he had a lot of practicing to do. He wanted to win and he wanted this to be the best game of his life. He also knew his soccer teammates were counting on him. He didn't want to disappoint.

"Seriously, guys," Noah said once Jake was out of the room, "Show up. He's really counting on the support. This game is very important to him."

"Noah, we'll be there," Troy said with a chuckle and the girls laughed. Gia rolled her eyes as well. Of course she would be at the game. She knew how much it meant to Jake that she watch, and she knew how happy it made him when she was at his games. She wouldn't disappoint him.

But before that, there was something else on her mind. She tapped Emma on the arm and pointed to the door.

"We should get home. Mom's probably bored at home."

"Yeah, sure," Emma was busy on her phone, finally texting Jordan after a full class of not being allowed to even look at her messages. Gia grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out. Troy and Noah chuckled as he watched them go.

"It's going to be a long year for her," Troy commented and Noah nodded his head.

"I hope they make it," he said. "I've heard long distance relationships are complicated."

"I'm sure they'll give it their best shot," Troy smiled. He put his bag on his shoulder, "Hey, want to come with me to Brainfreeze? I promised Rebecca I'd treat her to fro-yo. She's still a little shaken up from yesterday."

"I'd love to, but I've got a ton of cool experiments I'd like to suggest to Dr. Oliver," Noah took his notebook from his bag. I'm going to stay here to run the by him. Maybe I'll catch you later."

"Alright, have fun," Troy said and then looked back, "Hey, nothing too complicated, alright."

"These experiments are fun," Noah rolled his eyes. He walked up to Dr. Oliver's desk. He too was packing up for the day, but when he heard Noah wanted to talk to him, he figured he could stay for a couple of extra minutes. One thing he did love about this smaller class was the flexibility. He already knew his students, and after their first day together he had a good idea of their strengths, weaknesses, and their passions. As much as possible, he wanted to make the lessons interesting to all of them. He couldn't promise Noah he would include all of his ideas, but he would consider using some of the better ones.

"Do you mind if I take this home to read through it?" Dr. Oliver asked when Noah showed him his book of ideas.

"Sure. I've highlighted my favourite ideas. Some of them, I know, might be a little complicated for a school lesson, but I thought maybe it would give you an idea."

"I'll definitely consider using some of these," Dr. Oliver nodded. "Thanks, Noah."

Out in the hallway, Troy found Rebecca struggling with her books at her locker. Just as they all started to slide down on her, he managed to hold his hand out and catch them. When she saw they weren't going to fall on her she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought I was going to be crushed."

"Gotta get used to high school on crutches," Troy chuckled. He put her books away for her and then closed her locker. "No homework?"

"Just some light reading. I've got those books in my bag," Rebecca pointed to her bag which was already on her shoulder. "What I'm looking forward to is the fro-yo you promised me. I've decided I wanted extra sprinkles."

Troy grumbled, but then Rebecca smiled sweetly and he couldn't resist. He nodded his head and started to walk with his sister out of the school.

"You know, when Ryan's old enough to start begging you for stuff, she's going to be even cuter," Rebecca said. "You better start saving up money now."

"I'm going to need a job," Troy rolled his eyes. When they walked past the office to leave the school, Troy remembered Rebecca had a meeting with Ms. Chesterfield and Gia about an idea Gia had for the younger students. He looked to his sister, "How did the meeting go?"

"Ms. Chesterfield was really nice," Rebecca answered. "Today she just sat down with us and let us talk about happened. Gia had a lot to say about her ex-boyfriend."

"He put her through a lot."

"Yeah, I saw,"

"Saw?"

"Ms. Chesterfield asked to take a picture of some of her scars. We took a few pictures of her Ranger scars, just to get the point across, but Gia was pointing out which scars were caused by Cliff and there are a lot. How can some people be that evil?"

"I don't know," Troy shrugged his shoulders. "But what about you? What did you tell Ms. Chesterfield?"

"Just about how easy it was to give into peer pressure and fall for the wrong crowd. I talked about how even though I didn't do drugs myself, they still got me in a lot of trouble, and the bad decisions I made that almost ruined my life. I also talked about getting pregnant and how stupid it was for me to punish my dad by punishing myself like that. Ms. Chesterfield asked me a lot of questions about that."

"Like what?"

"Why I chose adoption," Rebecca said. "That opened up a can of worms I didn't even know existed. She kept asking me why I made this decision and not another why. Like why I didn't just have an abortion."

"Why didn't you?"

"I… well, I tried," Rebecca said. "When I first found out, I got so scared, I thought I could just get rid of the baby and pretend it never happened. I got to the doctor, got the speech, and I… I couldn't do it. It's not easier. Ms. Chesterfield said it was good I said that. She hopes when girls hear that, they'll reconsider their decisions. I know I'm really glad I didn't go through with it."

"Adopting him out was the best decision you could have made."

"Yeah, but even that wasn't easy. I got to hold him, Troy, and… I knew he'd be better off with Mia and Kevin, but I just… I didn't want to let him go. I still miss him, and I know I haven't lived much, but giving him up is probably the hardest thing I'm going to ever do. Ms. Chesterfield said it was good I said that too."

"You're probably going to shed a whole new light on these issues for everyone," Troy smiled at his sister, "I'm very proud of you, Rebecca."

"It wasn't easy, but it's like what Gia said, if talking about what happened can stop even just one person from hurting like I did, then it's worth it. Everyone deserves the best chance at happiness, and I want to do my part to help."

"You don't need spandex to be a hero, Rebecca," Troy said. "How about some extra sprinkles and extra caramel sauce?"

"You're that proud of me?"

"You're a really good person, Rebecca. I'm glad you've got the chance to show this side."

Rebecca smiled and blushed, "I'm glad too."


	13. Stone Still

Gia tapped her fingers against the kitchen table as she waited for Mrs. Goodall to come home. She had already finished the homework Dr. Oliver had assigned and with dinner only minutes away she was anxious to get her talk with Emma out of the way. However, now that she knew the news of Emma's biological father was news to Mrs. Goodall, she wanted to wait until everyone was home to talk to Emma about it. Unfortunately, as time went by, it seemed less and less likely that Mrs. Goodall would be coming home.

"Did she say she was going anywhere?" Gia asked her mother, who shook her head.

"When she left this morning, she said she would be coming right home. She wanted to run a few things by me before she talked to Emma."

"Think she chickened out? I was to think the best of her, but she can be a little… flighty?"

"I guess her past would support that," Mrs. Moran nodded her head and then picked up the phone, "I'll call the office and see if she's still there."

As Mrs. Moran picked up the phone, Emma came down the stairs with her notebook. She put it down on the table in front of Gia and smiled.

"Can we compare? I want to make sure my answers are right."

"Who says I got all my answers right?" Gia looked up and smirked. Emma crossed her arms over her chest and gave her a knowing look. Gia sighed. She closed her eyes and Emma looked at her notebook.

"Nine, four, seventeen, eighty-one, twenty six, seven, three, seventy, one, the square root of pi, and two."

"Missed one," Emma erased her third answer and sat down to review her math. She glanced up at Gia quickly for a moment, "Does the math skill come with the memory, or are you twice as blessed?"

"Blessed?" Gia frowned and then pointed to Emma's homework, "Don't forget to round it up."

"I didn't even notice that. Thanks!" Emma smiled. "There, I got seventeen. What was the answer for three?"

"Seventeen."

"Awesome," Emma closed up her notebook and as she put it away she noticed Mrs. Moran on the phone biting her nails. She frowned, "Vanessa? Is everything okay?"

"Help yourselves to dinner, girls," Mrs. Moran grabbed her bag and keys and rushed out of the house.

"Mom!" Gia called but Mrs. Moran was already gone. She turned to Emma who looked out the window worriedly.

"What was that about?"

"I don't know," Gia shrugged her shoulders.

"She'd tell us if it was something big, right?" Emma asked.

"Not right away," Gia shook her head. She got up from the table. "There's nothing we can do about it now, though. At least not until she gets back. Let's eat up and wait for her come home."

"Think everything is okay?"

"I hope so," Gia sighed.

-Megaforce-

She called Mrs. Goodall at the office, but no one answered the phone. She called again, but there was still no answer. When she called Mrs. Goodall's cell phone and still didn't get an answer, she knew there was trouble. Mrs. Moran took the car and drove the exact path Mrs. Goodall said she took to get home every evening. She drove slowly and kept her eyes on the streets and alleys for any sign of her best friend.

"C'mon, Claire, you're better than this," she muttered. "Please tell me you're hurt, kidnapped, or dead, and you haven't run away."

Mrs. Moran then shook her head. It was a weird thing to say about her very best friend, but it was true. She knew all about how Mr. Goodall wasn't Emma's biological father. She knew all about the talk Gia and Mrs. Goodall had had in the morning. She thought the best and believed Mrs. Goodall would be home for dinner to talk to Emma about the discovery, but now that she was late home, Mrs. Moran couldn't stop herself from imagining the worst. She was terrified Mrs. Goodall chickened out and decided to run instead of face the truth.

When she got to the office where Mrs. Goodall worked, she turned into the parking lot. There weren't many cars left; mostly just the ones from the surrounding buildings, where business were open later. Mrs. Moran parked her car in the closest space and walked up to Mrs. Goodall's building and knocked on the door. No answer. She peeked in through the class. The lights were off and the reception desk was empty.

"Don't do this, Claire. Too many people are counting on you," Mrs. Moran muttered and headed back to her car. She decided she would search around town. She hoped her best friend hadn't run away, but instead had gone somewhere else to think and simply lost track of time. When she reached her car, though, she noticed a woman standing in front of a car just a little ways off. She seemed ready to open the door and get inside, but never did. Suspicious, Mrs. Moran slowly made her way over.

"Claire!" she smiled when she recognized her best friend, and then came over to hug her, relieved to see she was okay and it looked like she was on her way home. When Mrs. Goodall made no move to greet her, or any type of movement at all, Mrs. Moran grew very suspicious. She waved her hand in front of her face.

"Claire? Claire, are you okay? Claire?"

She grabbed her best friend by the arms. Mrs. Goodall didn't move. She shook her, but Mrs. Goodall was completely stiff.

"Alright… this is still better than you running away, I guess," Mrs. Moran said and looked to her car, "At least I can get you home. We'll figure out what happened, Claire, I promise."

Mrs. Moran tried to lift her best friend, but she was too heavy. Mrs. Goodall didn't seem able to move at all. She couldn't speak, she wasn't blinking, and it didn't even look like she was really breathing. Mrs. Moran checked her best friend was alive, and when she was satisfied that there was still air going in and out of her lungs and she had a pulse, she turned to her car and scratched her head.

"If I can't carry you, how the hell am I going to get you home?"

She stepped away from Mrs. Goodall to have a look around. When she turned, her bag accidentally hit Mrs. Goodall in the arm and tipped her over.

"I'm so sorry!" Mrs. Moran cried when she saw her best friend hit the ground. Mrs. Goodall was still completely stiff, but it gave Mrs. Moran an idea. She started rolling Mrs. Goodall over to the car.

"Sorry about this," she said, "but maybe if you lay off the bedtime snacks, I could have just carried you back to my car."

She opened up her back door and then started to stuff her best friend in the back seat.

"This must look really bad to anyone watching," Mrs. Moran said as she realized how this must have looked. Fortunately, there was no one in the parking lot to suspect her of kidnapping. After bending Mrs. Goodall at the hips and knees, she got her best friend to sit up in the back seat. She put the seat belt around her and then walked around to the driver's seat.

"The sad thing is," Mrs. Moran sighed as she pulled out of the parking space and drove off, "This really is the best case scenario."

She looked in her rear-view mirror at Mrs. Goodall, "We'll find out what happened to you, I promise."


	14. Documents

Emma paced in the living room and bit her lip. Gia didn't have to say anything for her to know her mother was in trouble. She hadn't come home after work, and when Emma tried to call the office and her cell phone there was no answer. It was getting late, and Emma was really starting to worry.

Gia was worried as well, but she had her doubts. Mrs. Goodall had made a lot of good changes, and she had proven she wanted the best for Emma, but with a heavy secret coming to light, maybe she decided family was too much for her. The truth about Emma's real father was certainly going to upset Emma. Tears would be shed, tempers would fly, and even though everything would be out of hurt or anger, very hurtful words would be uttered. It was going to be messy. It was going to be tough. Maybe Mrs. Goodall didn't want to deal with it all. Maybe she wasn't ready.

Finally, the door opened. Mrs. Moran, who had gone out to look for Mrs. Goodall, came home. She was dragging Mrs. Goodall in behind her who was stiff as a board. Emma could tell right away something was wrong and could only watch while Gia helped her mother move Mrs. Goodall to the couch.

"What happened?"

"I found her like this," Mrs. Moran answered. She was a little out of breath from dragging her best friend into the house and sat on the coffee table to rest. "She's been like this the entire way home. It's like she's frozen."

"She's not, though," Gia said and put her hand on Mrs. Goodall's forehead. Then she turned to look at Emma.

"Is she dead?" Emma asked. Gia shook her head and wrapped her arm around Emma comfortingly.

"She's warm."

"I checked her breathe and pulse. She's alive," Mrs. Moran said. "At least, she was when I found her."

"Mom," Emma knelt beside the couch and touched her mother. She shook her gently, "Mom? Wake up…"

"It was the weirdest thing," Mrs. Moran explained to both the girls, but Emma seemed to be too busy trying to wake her mother to listen. "I found her right by her car. She looked like she was ready to get in. She was standing up. She wasn't slumped over or leaning against anything. I mean, she's completely stiff. Could this be monster related?"

"Monster?" Emma looked up fearfully. Ranger business was dangerous business. She had just been kidnapped by the mutants, and she heard that while she had been their prisoner she had been in a tube while they collected information from her. Noah had mentioned they managed to unscramble some of her DNA to reveal information about her parents. Now, with her mother like she was, Emma was terrified the mutants had gone after her intentionally.

Gia walked out of the room and had her mother and Emma follow. She didn't know what state Mrs. Goodall was in, but she couldn't risk anything. She picked up her bag and took out her morpher, "Gosei, we've got a problem. Any mutant sightings?"

"So far, I haven't picked up on any unusual activity," Gosei reported back. "All seems calm."

"Calm?" Mrs. Moran grabbed the morpher from her daughter's hands. "Gosei, my best friend is frozen stiff. Maybe she's got to lay off the cookies a bit, but she's a perfectly healthy adult. This kind of stuff happening in a city under threat of alien invasions and monster attacks isn't just a coincidence."

"Mrs. Moran…"

"No! Something's happened to Claire and you've got the technology to figure out what or who is behind this. Get your ass to work!"

"Mom, can you stop pissing off my superhero mentor?" Gia asked as she took her morpher back from Mrs. Moran. "I think I yell at him enough already for him to hate me. You don't need to rub it in."

"Sorry, Gia, you know I can't help it."

"You know, you started showing a lot of backbone since you found out I was a Ranger," Gia said. "What happened to the Vanessa Moran who would go into work with the flu because her boss said she'd be on dish washing duty for a month if she didn't show up?"

"Washing dishes won't get you girls killed," Mrs. Moran answered. She put her hands on Emma's shoulders, "I'm sure she'll be alright, Emma."

"We don't even know what happened," Emma shook her head. "I just got her back. What if…?"

"We'll take care of her, alright?" Mrs. Moran promised. "If this is just some monster's spell then we just need to defeat the monster and she'll be okay. That's how this stuff works, right?"

"I'll go warn the others to keep an eye out," Gia said and headed upstairs with her morpher. She wanted to check the news online to see if there were any other reports of people who were completely stiff like Mrs. Goodall. Mrs. Moran kissed the top of Emma's head before going into the kitchen. She hadn't had dinner yet and was starving. Before she could take care of Mrs. Goodall she needed something to eat.

Emma stayed by her mother's side and hoped the spell, or whatever had taken over her, would wear off soon. She took the blanket from beside the couch and draped it over her mother. She wasn't sure if she needed it or not, but thinking of her mother frozen in place like she was made Emma think she was probably cold. When the blanket covered her, Emma made sure she was comfortable. She started by removing the bag that was still on her shoulder. Mrs. Goodall's arm was stiff from the spell, but Emma managed to get the bag. She set it down on the floor and tucked her mother in.

"I'll figure this out, I promise," she whispered. Then she picked up the bag and opened it. Maybe there was something inside that could help her figure out what had happened. If the mutants had targeted her mother, and left her somewhere she could be found, maybe there was a note or clue for her.

Instead, Emma found a lunch bag with only empty containers inside, a wallet, her mother's cell phone, and some papers. She put everything down but the papers.

"Paternity testing?" she read the top and then glanced over the information, "Emma Goodall?"

She decided to read it over. Clearly this concerned her. Her name was written all over it.

"These results indicate that Jeffery Goodall cannot be the father of Emma Goodall as the analysis shows that there is no relation…"

The paper fell from her hands. Her eyes started to tear. She pushed herself up to her feet and looked down at her mother.

"What… why? How?" she asked but received no response. She shook her head and stormed into the kitchen. Mrs. Moran would know. She would have some answers.

"He's not my father?" she screamed. Mrs. Moran looked up from her meal. Her eyes were wide. Emma could see she knew something.

"What?"

"Why does my mom have papers saying my dad isn't my dad?"

"What's going on?" Gia hurried down the stairs after she could hear Emma screaming from her room.

"My dad isn't my dad," Emma stated. She was about to turn back to Mrs. Moran to start drilling her with questions when she saw the look on Gia's face. "You knew!"

"What?"

"Don't lie! I know that look! You knew! No one told me?"

"Emma, we were going to," Mrs. Moran said. She got up from the table and reached out to Emma but the pink Ranger pulled away and shook her head. She looked to Mrs. Moran and then back to Gia.

"How could you?"

"Emma…"

"Just… save it," Emma shook her head and then she stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

"Stay at home, mom!" Gia called out as she went after Emma. "Keep an eye on Mrs. Goodall. We're going to need her if we ever want to fix this."

When Gia got outside she saw Emma had taken her bike. There would be no way to catch up to her on foot now, but Gia knew she had her mountain board. It wouldn't be as fast as a bike in the city, but if Emma was going to the woods, which was where she usually went when she was upset, Gia would be able to keep up with her a lot better.

"I find new reasons to love this sport every day," Gia said as she took her board and helmet and raced after her best friend.


	15. Trust Me

Gia moved quickly through the woods on her mountain board, and followed the path Emma usually took when she came out to be by herself. Emma had gotten a head start, but Gia hoped she knew her well enough to find the right place and catch up. It was getting dark, and not only did Gia not want to be out alone in the woods at night, but she didn't want Emma alone at night.

Especially when Emma was upset.

Gia knew the pain of being betrayed. She had experienced it when she found her parents knew her secret as a Ranger, and that Emma knew they knew. No one told her, and she felt like everyone had been laughing about it, and her behind her back. At the time, she had run away from home and had plans on cutting her ties with her family and ditching Emma as a friend completely. She had been so hurt by their actions she wanted nothing to do with them anymore. She could only imagine Emma felt the same way. After all, this secret was pretty big.

Gia got to a clearing and stopped her board. She got off and tossed her helmet aside.

"Emma! Look, I know you're mad, but can we talk about this? I've never kept anything from you before, and I have a reason for this! Please come out! Please, let me explain."

"You knew."

Gia jumped, startled, and then turned around to see Emma had stepped out from behind a tree. She looked angry, but at least Gia knew where she was. The yellow Ranger took a step forward but Emma shook her head.

"Don't you dare…"

"Emma, it happened with the mutants," Gia said. "Jake, Noah, Robo-Knight and I were trying to get you out of those tubes. Noah was obsessed with all the information the computer could gather. I happened to catch a glance at some of the information on your parents and saw the computer had your mother down perfectly when describing her, but your father… it was all off. I didn't want to say anything, though, because this is mutant technology. They could have just been messing with us."

"You should have said something," Emma growled and shook her head. "Now I look like an idiot."

"I tried to talk to your mom about it, but she wouldn't say anything. So I asked Tensou for a DNA test. Apparently, he and Gosei have some of our parents DNA from when they were looking for the perfect Ranger candidates. Tensou tested them for a relation and he didn't find anything. So I confronted your mother again."

"You should have told me," Emma said. "My mom knows what she did. She doesn't need you telling her how she lied! This concerns me! This concerns my family! You're my best friend! You should have come to me!"

"I wanted to give your mother a chance to tell you herself. We were going to tell you at dinner…"

"My mom had seventeen years to tell me!" Emma screamed. "You thought she would decide to tell me now?"

"She didn't know," Gia shook her head. "Emma, I confronted her with Tensou's results this morning…"

"Now she knows about Tensou?"

"No. Those were the papers you saw. They look like they come from a regular facility. Tensou made them so your mother wouldn't get suspicious. Emma when I confronted her with them this morning she was just as confused…"

"You should be talking to me about this!" Emma screamed. "I don't care how she reacted! She knew what she did!"

"She didn't, Emma."

"She knew and I didn't! You've been hiding this from me all day! I trusted you!"

"You still can!"

"No! Just leave me alone!" Emma screamed and took off running deeper into the woods and away from the trail. Gia went after her and had to duck and dodge branches and leaves just to keep up.

"Emma, wait!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Emma!" Gia was smacked in the face by a branch and stumbled backwards. She pulled a leaf from her mouth and groaned as she touched her nose. "Dammit… that hurt."

She pushed the branch out of her way but unfortunately she didn't have eyes on Emma anymore. She was about to call for her when she heard a scream.

"Emma!" she followed the scream until she burst through a bush where she then had to make a quick stop to avoid falling off a very steep cliff. She caught herself before she lost her balance and then looked down. Her heart jumped in her throat when she couldn't see Emma and she thought maybe her friend had fallen all the way down. It was a long way down, and as far as Gia could tell, it would be a painful landing. "Emma!"

"Gia!"

Gia looked to the side of the cliff and saw Emma manage to fall straight down to a ledge. It was only a couple of feet out from the side of the cliff, but Emma was pressed right up against the rock wall, terrified that if she stepped out she would fall.

"Never wander off the trail!" Gia called down to her and shook her head. "Looks like we both have to learn that lesson the hard way. Are you okay?"

"Get me up!" Emma cried. Gia nodded her head and looked down. She could already see Emma was too far to reach. She knew Emma was also too scared to climb back up by herself. Gia would have to get her and bring her up.

"I'm coming. Just stay where you are."

Emma nodded her head and peaked over the side of the cliff. She had skid to a stop when she saw the sudden drop but hadn't been able to catch herself in time. She considered herself lucky the ledge had been there to catch her and didn't want to push her luck by climbing back up. She was too scared she would fall. The drop was enough to hurt her, and if her luck had run out (which she felt it had) she could even be killed.

"Were you really going to tell me?" she asked as Gia lowered herself over the edge of the cliff and started to climb down. "Today?"

"At dinner, Emma," Gia said. She tried to focus on which rocks were best to hold her up as she slowly climbed down. She knew once she found her way down she could climb back up. She just needed to be careful. One wrong move could mean the end. "I swear to you, I was going to tell you. I went to your mother just in case it was all just a trick by the mutants. I didn't want you worrying over something that isn't even true."

"If mom denied it, why did you get Tensou to check it anyways?"

"I don't trust her completely," Gia said. "I needed to see for myself, Em, and I was right, but not about not trusting your mother. When I confronted her about it, she really seemed confused."

"Really?"

"It's surprising to me too. I mean, you'd think she'd know who she slept with, right?"

"I'm sorry, Gia."

"It's okay," Gia said. "I know what it's like. Let's just get you back on solid ground, alright?"

Gia's feet touch the ledge and she let go of the rock wall. She pulled Emma in close and hugged her tight, "Don't you ever run away like that again."

"Get me out of here," Emma said. Gia nodded her head and helped Emma grab the first protruding rocks to pull herself up. When her feet were off the safety of the ledge, Emma looked over her shoulder and down at Gia, "You'll be right behind me, right?"

"Yeah, Em. I've got your back. Just take it nice and slow, alright? We have to get up, but there's no rush."

Emma nodded her head and saw a rock she could reach for. She grabbed it and slowly pulled herself up a little higher. "Do you know who my dad is?"

"No," Gia answered. "The description could still be anyone."

"But not my dad? I mean, not the man I thought was my dad?"

"Not Mr. Goodall," Gia said. Emma was now up high enough for Gia to start climbing. "You're doing great, Emma."

"My mom is my mom, though, right?"

"Mom was in the delivery room for the birth," Gia said. "She wouldn't lie about that."

"Are you sure? My family's pretty screwed up. My whole life seems like it's just… bad."

"I'm sure, Emma. Look, I know you're feeling betrayed and it's scary, but 100%, I'm telling you the truth. You know I'd never hurt you. You know that I wouldn't let anyone keep something like this from you."

"What else do you think they're hiding?"

"I don't think they're hiding anything," Gia shook her head. "We're the Power Rangers, Em. We're the ones with the secret."

Emma felt the tears welling up in her eyes again, blurring her vision. She tried to wipe them away but they came back quickly. Thinking she saw a rock, she reached to pull herself up, but her hand grabbed nothing. The trick threw her off and she started to slide down the side, right into Gia. The yellow Ranger caught her, but catching Emma meant she had to let go of the Cliff. Both girls started to fall down the side. Gia never let go of Emma with one arm, but reach out in a desperate attempt to catch the very edge of the ledge they had been standing on.

Emma felt herself falling and then suddenly it all stopped. She gasped and looked down, seeing she was dangling over the side of the cliff. Then she turned to Gia. The yellow Ranger managed to catch the ledge in time to break the fall, but now they were trapped. With one arm holding her, and the other holding them up, Gia didn't have the strength to pull them up to safety.

"Grab on to me," Gia said and Emma obliged. She wrapped her arms around Gia's neck. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I've been better," Gia answered. She looked up, "Use me. Climb up."

"Gia…"

"Climb up, Emma. It's okay. I've got you."

"I'm not mad at you," Emma looked at Gia. "I trust you. I'm just… mad about this. About everything else, I guess."

"Yeah, we'll talk when we're safe," Gia said. "Climb me, Emma. Hurry."

Emma nodded her head and with all the strength she had, she pulled herself up along Gia. It wasn't easy, but Emma knew it was their only way up and so she had to try. When she was high enough, she grabbed the ledge and then pulled her feet up as high as she could. She placed one on Gia's shoulder and pushed up. She rolled on the ledge and then stopped for a minute to catch her breath. Then she looked over. Gia was still hanging.

"Lie on your stomach," Gia instructed and Emma did as she was told. Gia seemed to have a calm head and was thinking clearly. When Emma was on her stomach she reached over the side of the Cliff and grabbed Gia's arms.

"I've got you."

Gia nodded her head and then pulled her legs up. She could just barely touch the side of the cliff with her feet. She would use whatever leverage she had to get herself up.

"Pull, Emma!"

It wasn't the most graceful rescues, but Emma didn't care once Gia was finally up on the ledge. She pulled the yellow Ranger until she was in her arms and then held her.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Emma," Gia answered and wrapped her arms around her best friend. "I know it hurts. It know you're probably really mad."

"Not mad," Emma shook her head and pulled away. She leaned back against the side of the Cliff. "Well, I am mad, but not at you. As long as you're telling the truth."

"I wouldn't lie to you," Gia said. "I know how much it hurts, remember? You and my parents kept that secret from me."

"Right…"

"I don't care who your dad is," Gia said. "What you have at home is real. Your mom… I really think this caught her off guard. She thought your dad was your dad. She's hurting too, but she loves you. She was going to talk to you about this tonight."

"You swear."

"On my life," Gia nodded her head and then looked over the edge, "Which, right now, I really cherish."

Gia turned back to Emma and smiled, "And my mom… sometimes I think she loves you more than me."

"Yeah right."

"Alright, maybe not so much anymore," Gia chuckled, "But seriously, Emma, you couldn't ask for a better guardian, or aunt, or mom, or whatever you feel she is to you. She'd do anything for you. She loves you. She had no idea about this either. And obviously I love you. I could have dropped you off the side of this mountain for running off and scaring me like that. Instead, I let you step on my face so you can climb to safety."

"I thought it was your shoulder…" Emma looked down nervously, "Sorry."

Gia scooted in closer to Emma and hugged her, "What you have at home is real. Once we get back, we'll figure this out together. You don't deserve this, so I'll make sure we figure this out."

"Okay."

"Good," Gia smiled. She rested her head on Emma's shoulder. "Are we okay?"

"Yeah. But next time… just tell me, okay? I can handle it."

"You can handle it?" Gia asked. "Emma, we almost dropped to our death. This isn't handling it."

"You caught me off guard."

"It's also the middle of the night. We're alone in the woods, away from the trail."

"I… wasn't thinking…"

"Well, neither was I," Gia grumbled. "You took off and I knew I couldn't let you get too far ahead so I left my bag, my phone, and my morpher at home."

"I… did too."

"We're great together, aren't we?" Gia muttered. "Looks like we'll have to try climbing again. Are you ready?"

"I…" Emma looked up and then down. Gia took her hand and squeezed it.

"Hey, I've got your back. Just make sure you grab a rock this time, alright."

Emma nodded and reached for her first rock. She pulled herself up carefully as she started her climb. Gia was right there behind her the entire way up.

"And we're safe," Gia said when she was finally back on solid ground. She got to her feet, hugged Emma one more time and then pulled her back into the woods. "Mom's probably freaking out. Let's go back before she loses her head."


	16. Truthfully

After a very terrifying discussion about the truth revolving Emma's biological father, or lack of knowledge of who he was, Gia brought Emma home. Really, they were no closer to an answer for Emma. Instead, her discover of the paternity test only brought up questions. And until they could quiz Mrs. Goodall for answers, they were going to be left with those questions.

"Emma," Mrs. Moran sighed in relief when she saw the girls coming through the door. She got up from the love seat and walked over to the pink Ranger. She took her in her arms, "I'm so sorry about all of this."

"Gia says no one knew," Emma looked up at Mrs. Moran. She was still angry they had all kept the secret from her for as long as they did, but she trusted Mrs. Moran would tell her the truth about everything. She trusted Gia already had.

"I was just as surprised," Mrs. Moran said. "I mean, your mother and I were, and still are, very close, but I was definitely not in the room with her when you were conceived. When she announced she was pregnant, I just assumed your father was her husband. That's how it worked in this family."

"Are you sure?" Gia asked. Mrs. Moran shot her daughter a quick look and a short nod.

"Yes, Gia. I am positive."

"So was my mom, right?" Emma continued to look at Mrs. Moran and it broke the older woman's heart that she had no real answer for the confused pink Ranger. She knew what she knew and she hoped it was the truth. She hoped Mrs. Goodall wasn't keeping something that would hurt Emma. She hoped Mrs. Goodall was being honest by saying she didn't know who Emma's biological father could be if it wasn't her ex-husband.

"I've known your mother a long time," Mrs. Moran said. "I pride myself on being able to figure her out. I know when she's being truthful or deceptive. At least, I hope I do. I've rarely been wrong before, and I don't think I am this time. When Gia confronted her about the possibility that you aren't Jeff's daughter, she didn't believe it. I saw her after Gia showed her the papers. She was distraught, Emma. She's just as shocked as the rest of us."

"How can she not know, though? I mean… how many guys do you have to sleep with at once to not know who the father of your baby is… at all?"

"It's been about eighteen years since the day," Mrs. Moran shrugged her shoulder. "I doubt she's thought about it much. If it was a one-time thing, she may not remember his name."

"Is there any way to figure out who my dad is?" Emma asked. "If mom can't remember, I mean."

"I saw the list the mutant's technology came up with," Gia said. "It's just a general description of what your father could look like based on the genes the machine took from you, but it can narrow down the list a bit."

"How big is a bit?"

"Uh… well… if you point to a stranger I can say no or possibly… I'm sorry, Emma."

"It's not your fault," Emma sighed and shook her head. She looked into the living room, where her mother was still completely still. "I guess we just need to find a way to unfreeze her and see what she knows."

"You girls focus on whatever did this to her," Mrs. Moran said. "I've got some yearbooks and photos that might date back to the time you were conceived. I'll see if there's anyone your mother was particularly attached to."

"I can write down the description I saw," Gia said as she walked to the kitchen to get a piece of paper and a pen. "That might help."

"I'll call the others," Emma reached for the hook where she hung up her bag and took out her morpher. "They should know there's a monster possibly on the loose."

"Let them know and then get to bed," Mrs. Moran said. "If there is a monster out there, he hasn't caused enough trouble for the media to get his attention. I've been watching the news all night and there are no reports of people freezing up like this. I want you both well rested before you go fight evil."

Emma nodded her head and took her morpher upstairs. Mrs. Moran walked into the kitchen where Gia was writing down the list.

"You told her everything?"

"Everything I know," Gia said. "Which isn't much. I really hope Mrs. Goodall has an answer for her. She doesn't deserve this."

"Well, whatever happens, it really doesn't matter. Her family is here with us. Biology won't change that."

"That's what I told her," Gia said and then gave her mother the paper. "It's vague, but at least it can tell you who Emma's father isn't."

"Thanks," Mrs. Moran took the paper and then caught a glimpse of Gia's hand. She grabbed it, "Where did you find Emma, by the way?"

Gia took her hand back and stuffed it in her jacket pocket, "The forest. You know her usual hiding place."

"Which part of the forest? Where did you get that cut and…," Mrs. Moran pulled up Gia's sleeve, "All these scrapes! Gia, these look new!"

"That's what happens when you do a little impromptu rock climbing," Gia shrugged her shoulders and rolled her sleeve back down. "Mom, it's nothing. We're both alive."

"Alive?"

"Emma fell off a cliff," Gia slowly started to make her way out of the kitchen. "I had to help her climb back up."

"How high was this cliff? Gia, why didn't you call for help?"

"She landed on a ledge… the drop wasn't _too_ bad."

"Gia…"

"Severe trauma if we fell, that's for sure," Gia shrugged her shoulders and continued to move towards the stairs. "Another trip to the hospital at the very least. The good news is that I know a lot of the nurses by name now."

"Giana Moran, do I have to make up a rule about rock climbing without a morpher? I saw you both left your bags at home…"

"What's that, Emma? Your pyjamas are missing. Huh, that's strange. I'll come help…"

"Gia," Mrs. Moran grabbed her daughter's arm before Gia could escape. "How close did I come to losing both of you?"

"Well, Emma thought she was grabbing for a rock, but then she slipped," Gia saw her mother was about ready to have a heart attack. "I caught her, though."

"Thank goodness…"

"But that meant I had to let go of the cliffside and we both took a little fall."

"GIA!"

"But I caught Emma and the ledge. She climbed up and then I climbed up, and we were back on solid ground. No harm, no foul, right?"

"Your room. Now."

"So I'm not in trouble?"

"I don't know whether to be furious or grateful right now," Mrs. Moran growled as she pointed up the stairs, "Get to bed. Don't leave the house… ever."

"I need to go to school and save the world, mom," Gia smirked. Her mother growled again. Gia raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time to run away before her mother decided fury was the answer.

Mrs. Moran massaged her temples as she walked into the living room and sat on the love seat. She had work to do by flipping through the photo albums, but upon hearing Emma and Gia had both been in extreme danger tonight she needed a minute to calm down.


	17. Responsibility

It was a night without any monster attacks in the city. The Rangers, like any other morning, woke up and were ready for school. Until they heard from Gosei or Tensou that there was a monster in the city, they had to play the day like usual. Though their teacher and vice-principal knew of their responsibilities as Rangers, they weren't going to take advantage to miss every day of school.

Noah, in particular, was glad the monster hadn't shown his face. As he walked into class he was excited to see if Dr. Oliver was going to consider any of his suggestions for experiments.

"Did you read my notes?" he asked as soon as he walked into class, which caused Jake to groan loudly.

"Seriously?"

Dr. Oliver returned to Noah his notebook and nodded his head. "You have some really interesting ideas. Some of them are a little too much to ask for my budget, but I've seen plenty that I would love to try out with the class. I'll definitely look into it a little further."

"That's amazing!" Noah took a seat at his desk and then noticed Jake hitting his head repeatedly on the desk.

"I don't even know why we're friends," he groaned.

"Careful," Noah chuckled, "You need some brain left for today."

"Oh, that's right," Dr. Oliver smiled. There was some time before class was official started so he thought it would be fun, and helpful, to take some time to talk to his students about their personal lives. It wouldn't just help him as an educator, but as a Ranger mentor. While he was sure they had someone like Zordon looking out for them, he had some firsthand knowledge that could be helpful to them, but only if he knew how to get them to listen and trust him. "Jake, you have your big game tonight."

"It's right after school," Jake lifted his head from his desk and then clasped his hands together, "Dr. Oliver, I'm begging you, please don't assign any homework tonight. I have a good feeling we're going to win, and if I'm right, tonight is just going to be all games and celebration and I'm not getting anything else done and I don't want detention for being amazing."

"Relax, Jake. There will be no homework tonight. Conner's already talked to me about taking it easy on you for the game. Just understand that this is a one-time deal. If you try out for the school team, I expect you to balance all of your responsibilities."

"Yes! Dude, you're the best!" Jake threw his hands up in the air and then caught the look his teacher was giving him, "Uh… Dr. Dude?"

"Someone looks happy," Gia commented as she walked into class and noticed Jake seemed very excited. She took a seat at the desk beside his, "I guess it has something to do with your big game tonight."

"You're still coming, right?" Jake asked her, to which Dr. Oliver frowned.

"I thought Harwood's good luck charm needed to be at the final game."

"We think Emma's mother is the victim of a new monster attack," Gia looked over to Dr. Oliver to explain and then back to Jake, "But unless we get news on his whereabouts or I find out something that can help, I'll be there, I promise."

"Awesome, because Coach got you this," Jake reached into his bag and pulled out a jacket. He offered it to Gia. "It's the official team jacket. He surprised me with mine yesterday, and then I got twice the surprise when he said he had one made for you."

"I… I have a jacket?" Gia took it in her hands and smiled. Moran was printed across the back, just over Jake's number. She wasn't in any way a part of the team, but she had come to games and supported Jake. The team seemed to believe she was a good luck charm, as every game she attended they won, and Jake always played better when he knew she was watching him.

"The guys all like you," Jake nodded. "You've come to more games than their girlfriends have. You're really supportive on the bench. Coach says you've even suggested a few of the game plays we've tried."

"You notice quite a bit when you're sitting on the side lines watching," Gia said. "I've just made a few comments. I didn't think…"

"Just take the jacket, Gia," Jake chuckled and he helped her slip it on, "And wear it to the game tonight, alright? It'll make the guys happy and they think that if you're wearing their gear, it'll bring us extra luck."

Gia nodded her head and kissed Jake on the cheek as Emma walked in.

"My mom's stiff as a board, my boyfriend's across the state, and yet you two continue to rub in how happy you are," she muttered as she sat down next to Gia. "Kissy faces in class are not cute."

"You were the one texting Jordan the entire way here."

"You and your mom were talking over breakfast."

"Was I supposed to ignore her?"

"Would have been polite," Emma said. She wasn't really angry with Gia, which the yellow Ranger knew, but today wasn't a great day for her. It was her second day back at school, and her second full day without her boyfriend. To top it all off, she had just found out her biological father wasn't who she thought he was, and her mother was trapped under some monster's spell and couldn't move or talk to her about it.

Gia put a hand on Emma's should and squeezed comfortingly as the bell rang. Troy walked into class just before the very end of the ring.

"Safe!" Jake cried when he saw Troy slip in just before Dr. Oliver could close the door. The former Ranger looked down at Troy with a warning stare.

"You're lucky this time."

"Sorry, Dr. Oliver," Troy said. "I had to help my sister get to class. Sprained ankle, remember."

Dr. Oliver nodded his head and then sighed as he pointed to Troy's seat. The red Ranger sat down as Dr. Oliver walked up to the board. He wrote down one word and turned to the class.

"What is this word?"

Noah's hand shot up but Jake spoke first.

"Is this a trick question? This is grade twelve, not two. We know how to read."

"Noah," Dr. Oliver called on the blue Ranger.

"Responsibility."

"So you all know it?"

"We're kind of burdened by it," Troy nodded his head. "Being a Ranger is cool and all, but it's a lot of work."

"This is _Being a Power Ranger 101_," Dr. Oliver said. "Just like Troy said, you've all got a lot of responsibility. In some ways that's good, but in other ways, it can lead you into trouble. I learned a lot about responsibility when I was our age."

"You mean kicking monster butt and protecting the world, right?" Jake asked. "I mean, it's not enough we destroy the monster, but we have to defend the people he's threatening."

"Exactly," Dr. Oliver nodded his head. "You've also got to understand that just because you're a Ranger, that doesn't mean you can shirk off your other responsibilities. Jake, tonight I'm giving you a free pass on homework because you have a soccer game today. However, would it be fair to allow you to slack off on your school work every time you have a special event after school?"

"It would be nice," Jake answered. Gia shook her head.

"It wouldn't be right," she said. "You'd be ignoring your responsibilities as his teacher."

"Right, but it also wouldn't teach Jake responsibility. We all have lives outside of school. We all have lives outside of our Ranger duties. Just like you can't ignore your responsibilities as a Ranger during school hours, you also can't ignore your responsibilities as students and teenagers. I've already mentioned to you five how being a Ranger got me into some trouble at school. Hopefully, this class will help you guys figure out how to balance being Rangers and regular teens. So for my first question, I'm going to ask you all what's more important? Completing the math exercises I assigned to you all last night, or defending the planet from a monster?"

"Fighting the monster," Troy answered and looked at his teammates to see if they all agreed. "I mean, hands down. A couple of math problems aren't worth putting the lives of hundreds of people in danger."

"Now, a more complicated question," Dr. Oliver said. "What's more important? Your education? Or being Rangers?"

"Rangers," Jake answered this time. "Who cares about having an education if the world is going to be destroyed?"

"What if we do save the world?" Noah asked, but he was looking at Jake and not Dr. Oliver. "We're not going to be Rangers forever, right? And I'd like to believe that we are going to defeat Vrak, his army, and the mutants at some point. So, what about after that? Or even during that time? This Ranger business isn't exactly making much profit and we don't know how long this war will last."

"There is where our discussion about responsibility begins," Dr. Oliver said while the Rangers tried to figure out the answer to his question. He decided to give them another little push. He turned to Emma, who was sitting at her desk quietly. "Why are you here today?"

Emma looked to him strangely, "Uh… it's Tuesday."

"And?"

"High school students are in high schools on Tuesdays at 8:45."

"Isn't your mother injured?"

"Well… not injured," Emma shook her head. "She's more like… a statue."

"Why aren't you by her side? Why are you here at school?"

"Vanessa said I had to go. She promised she'd look after mom. Gosei also said he'd let us know if any monsters turned up."

"Why would Vanessa make you go to school?"

"Education is important."

"More important than helping your mother?"

"Well… no but… there's nothing I can do to help her."

"What if the monster turned up now?" Dr. Oliver asked. "Will you stay in class, or will you jump into action."

"I'd be out the door already," Emma answered.

"We need to learn to make the right decisions," Noah said. "It would be irresponsible to choose our Ranger duties over our personal duties all the time, just like how it would be irresponsible to always commit ourselves to our personal lives even when there are monsters attacking the city."

Dr. Oliver put his finger to his nose and smiled, "Any other questions?"

Jake put his hand up, "Soccer game finals and homework?"

"You're not getting any homework tonight, Jake," Dr. Oliver assured him. "Don't worry about it."

"Can I get that in writing? Just so you don't change your mind."

Dr. Oliver rolled his eyes and walked up to the black board again. He erased the word responsibility and replaced it with a paragraph describing of the challenges he had to face once as a Ranger. He wanted to see if the Rangers could figure out what the best decision to make was. He hoped that with enough practice, this would become second nature to them. He remembered him and his teammates struggling quite a bit to balance all they were asked to carry on their shoulders.


	18. Jake's Soccer Game

Just as Dr. Oliver promised, Jake and his friends had the night off from homework, which meant once the school bell rang, Jake was free to run out of class and get changed quickly into his uniform. It was finally time for his big game. His team had made it all the way to the finals and if they could pull off just one more win they would be the champions for the year. Jake knew it would look amazing on his record and there were also college scouts around. While most of his teammates were already in their early to mid-twenties, some colleges weren't shy to offer them a full or partial scholarship. For Jake, this was a great opportunity to be recognized. While his parents never allowed him to rely on an athletic scholarship to get into college, it had always been plan A. This was Jake's chance to impress the scouts and get college offers.

"I'm here, Coach," he said as he ran up to Conner McKnight and smiled.

"You brought your friends?"

"In the stands," Jake smiled and pointed up at the crowd. He had invited his father, the Rangers, Mrs. Moran, Mrs. Goodall, the Carvers, Rebecca, and the Burrows to come watch his game. This was a big moment for him and he wanted to be able to share it with the people he cared about most. He also liked the attention and it didn't hurt him to have a little more pressure to perform. He always did a little better in his games when there was a little extra pressure. It made him try even harder because he wanted to impress.

Coach McKnight nodded his head and then waved all his players over. They gathered together in a huddle to go over some of the plays they were planning on performing to outplay the opposing team.

Up in the stands, Gia was sitting with Emma and the others. She would watch the game from the bench so Jake could see her cheering him on, but she wanted to sit with Emma for a minute, just to be sure her friend was alright. While this was an exciting time for nearly everyone in Harwood County, Emma had a lot on her mind. While Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Goodall had been invited to the game, neither of them could make it. Mrs. Goodall was still stiff as a statue and someone needed to keep an eye on her.

"Gosei and Tensou are going to tell us the moment they detect something suspicious," Gia assured Emma. "We'll figure out who is behind whatever happened to your mom. Just try to have a little fun, alright?"

"It's almost been a day," Emma said. She looked down at the field, "What if this is a spell that has some kind of time limit? Maybe that's why the monster won't show his face. If he waits it out, I could lose my mother forever. I already don't have a dad…"

"That's not going to happen."

"You don't know that," Emma shook her head. "You can't promise."

"Well… I…" Gia had a look around and then smiled, "Wait, Emma, this could be perfect."

"Huh?"

"Look at the crowd. Harwood loves soccer. Most of the town is here!"

"Yeah? So?"

"If a monster attacks, they usually attack busy places, right? Well, if this monster wants to put his spell on more people, this is going to be the best place for him to turn up."

"Unless he's been ordered to just attack my mother."

"Or people who look like her," Gia said. "The description of your father was vague. So was your mother's. The mutant's can't know exactly who she is. If they wanted to hurt you, they'll go after as many women in Harwood County as they can who match the description they got of your mother. Mostly everyone in the city is here."

"Yeah, so…"

"Keep an eye out," Gia smiled. "Watch the stands. Look for anyone or anything acting strange. This is a soccer game. Fans go wild. It's usual for people to be sitting completely still in their seats and not cheer, right?"

"I can help my mom from here?"

"If the monster turns up, we'll blend right in," Gia smirked. "You're helping your mom by being here. More than if you were to go home and take care of her. I'm sure, if that monster wants to hurt as many people as possible, he's going to show up here."

"The mutants do want to cause a lot of destruction," Emma nodded her head. "Thanks, Gia. I'll keep an eye out."

"Be careful, too. You are your mother's daughter," Gia said as she got up to make her way down to the field. "You match the description the mutants received. You could be a target."

"I'll let Troy and Noah in on the plan just in case," Emma said. Gia smiled at her best friend before heading down to the field. The game was about to start and she didn't want to miss a second of supporting her boyfriend. He was always there for her and she wanted to show him the support was mutual. Before he ran out to take his position on the field she kissed him.

"Good luck, Jake. You're going to be awesome."

"Thanks," Jake smiled. He ran to the field with his teammates so they could face off against the Blue Bay Harbour Sharks. Gia joined Coach McKnight on the sidelines.

"Nice jacket," he told her with a smirk, "It looks good on you."

"Thanks," Gia looked down. Earlier in the day she had received the jacket from Jake. It was an official Harwood County Tornadoes jacket with her name across the back over Jake's jersey number. She had been told it was a gift from the coach and the team. "Jake insisted I wear it."

"The whole team did," Coach McKnight chuckled. "They really like having you around."

"I'm a good luck charm, I know," Gia said. Coach McKnight put his hand on her shoulder.

"You are, but it's more than that. You support Jake, and you support the team. Most girlfriends show up once or twice, try to take an interest, but it never really sticks. You're always here."

"The games are fun to watch, I guess."

"You're nice to the teammates, too," Coach McKnight said and gestured to the substitute players sitting on the bench. "You've probably noticed they don't get to play a lot."

"A team needs subs, right?"

"Yeah, but no one really aspires to be a benchwarmer," Coach chuckled. "Since you've come to games, you've been pointing out plays on the field that either help or hinder our performance. A lot of the guys listen to that and use what you see to improve their games."

"That's cool."

"Next season, three of my substitutes are being promoted to full time players thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?"

"They say sometimes you offer them encouragement," Coach McKnight nodded his head. "I try my best to let the subs play as often as possible, but my players earned their chance to be on the field. I know a lot of subs are disappointed they can't play. They put themselves down sometimes, don't they?"

"Yeah. I hear it every once in a while," Gia answered. "Someone will point out a play and someone else will mention how they'll never be able to do that and that's why they aren't good enough to be in the game."

"You build them up," Coach said. "You always tell them the players have practiced long and hard, and they don't give up on themselves and that's why they're on the field. It gets them motivated. Sometimes, they just need to be reminded they need to keep climbing the ladder. I like that about you. Everyone does. You're a good person, a great team player. We can all learn a lot from you."

Gia blushed and smiled as she turned to watch the game, "Thanks, Coach."

"Jake's got the ball!" Dr. Oliver, who was also allowed the watch the game from the bench because he was Conner's friend, called out and everyone watched closely. He took the ball up the field, slipped right past the final defender, and all that was left was for him to take a shot. He wound up for the kick and shot straight at the net. Unfortunately for him, the goalie stopped the ball, but Jake had the opportunity to catch the rebound. The goalie hadn't gotten the chance to grab the ball in his hands, so the ball was still fair game.

Suddenly, Gia head a call from the crowd. It was difficult to hear over the cheering, but her ears picked up on it. She turned around and saw Emma, Noah, and Troy had come down from the stands and were running away from the field.

"Jake!" she called out but the black Ranger couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear the crowd cheering or the goalie trying to taunt him as he took another shot. But when he looked to the net to take his aim he saw Robo-Knight off in the distance. He knew he had to leave the game.

"Dammit!" he shouted and kicked the ball, but because he wasn't focused it went high over the next and out of bounds. On the side of the field, Gia turned to Conner.

"Pull him."

"You're kidding me," Coach McKnight groaned as he called for the referee's attention and asked for a substitution. The referee was confused about the request this early in the game but allowed it.

"Go, Benson," Coach said to one of his players on the bench and then made a call that confused everyone in the crowd watching. "Holling! You're done!"

Jake hung his head low as he exited the field. Gia waited for him and hugged him. She knew this was a huge disappointment to him.

"Do what you've got to do, Holling," Coach said. "There's a spot for you on the team next year. Better luck next time."

"We'll keep that monster away from the field," Gia promised and grabbed Jake's arm, "Sorry, Jake. Responsibility, remember?"

Jake looked back on the field as the game resumed. It seemed no one had noticed Robo-Knight a little ways off in the park and so the game would continue as if nothing happened and he wasn't allowed to return. Even if he could figure out what Robo-Knight was doing in the city and stop whatever threat he was after before the game ended, the rules would keep him from returning to play.

He turned to the crowd and saw the disappointed looks on his supporter's faces. He was supposed to be the star player and now he was leaving the game. A few people were booing Coach McKnight for the call, but Jake felt he was letting everyone down.

Gia squeezed his hand as she ran off the field with him, "I'm really sorry, Jake. There is next year, right?"

"This better be good," Jake muttered. They caught up to the others and gathered around Robo-Knight. He had his blaster at the ready and seemed to be looking around the park. They were far enough away from the game that they didn't need to evacuate the field. While Jake was somewhat glad his teammates, his father, and the Rangers' families weren't in danger, he did hope that something would happen to stop the game and perhaps give him a chance to start again. He did not want to miss this game.

Emma's feelings were quite the opposite. She was glad there was trouble. It meant she was one step closer to helping her mother, "Robo-Knight, please tell me a mutant's running around town and turning people to statues."

"There is a mutant, but he's not turning people to statues," Robo-Knight shook his head. "He's stealing shadows."

"Stealing shadows?" Noah frowned. "But… what does… how?"

"What happens to his victims?"

"They're immobilized," Robo-Knight said. "The mutants' been spotted in the parking lot near the park. He's already got some shadows. When I confronted, he tried to steal mine. I had to run into the shade and he got away. He came here."

"Here?" Jake asked a little excitedly. "You mean he could threaten the game?"

"We've got to keep him away from all these people," Troy said. "We can't let anyone else get hurt."

"Maybe few players can get their shadows stolen…"

"Jake, I know it sucks, but we can't let this mutant get any more shadows," Troy shook his head.

"He could be near the field, though. We need to warn people…"

"Robo-Knight, does he look like a giant snail?" Gia asked and pointed a little ways off, where a snail looking mutant was sneaking up on a family having a picnic in the park. The afternoon sun meant they all cast a long shadow.

"He insists he's a serpent, but yes," Robo-Knight said and charged into battle. The Rangers groaned, morphed quickly, and went after their robotic Ranger to help.

"Still hasn't learned the value of team-work, huh?" Noah muttered.

"I don't care how it's done," Emma said. "I just want this guy stopped!"


	19. A Lesson In Teamwork

Though he looked more a like a snail, the monster called himself Shadow Serpent, and he could steal people's shadows which would cause them to be still as statues. Jake worked with his teammates to put an end to the monster's chaos, but he couldn't help look across the park, where the soccer game was still going on. He couldn't believe he had to miss it.

"Jake!" Gia cried out and pushed him out of the way and into the shade of a big tree. Jake hit the ground and when he looked up he saw Gia staring down at him, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry you have to miss the game," she said as she got up off him and then extended a hand to help him up, "but you have to focus. This guy is tough."

"Right, sorry," Jake nodded his head and accepted Gia's hand. When he was up he saw his teammates had surrounded him in the shade. It was the middle of the afternoon and the sun was shining brightly. The only safe place to hide from the mutant was somewhere they didn't cast a shadow.

Robo-Knight continued to battle with the mutant. While he had changed his ways and was more careful in battle so that he didn't hurt his teammates or the civilians he was trying to protect, he was still a one-man army. He had his own missions and his own goals, and more than anything he wanted to see the mutants and aliens destroyed. He would stop at nothing to see this mutant defeated quickly.

"We have to help him," Noah said. "If he's not careful, the snail can steal his shadow."

"Is that really a bad thing?" Emma asked. "He's taking over this fight, but it looks like he's not even strong enough to take this guy down."

"We need to work as a team," Troy nodded his head. At that moment, Shadow Serpent blasted Robo-Knight and sent him flying into the shade with the other Rangers. He hit the ground and they all stood before him to protect him.

"Stay where it's safe," Robo-Knight announced to them as he pushed himself up to his feet. He tried to run back out in the sun where the mutant loved to battle, but Gia and Noah caught each of his arms and held him back.

"We need to work together," Troy said to Robo-Knight. "We're supposed to be a team, remember?"

"The threat needs to be destroyed," Robo-Knight said. "I can beat him."

"Not without us, twinkle toes," Gia shook her head. "You're spending half your time out there dancing to avoid him eating up your shadow, and the other half of the time you're getting shot at!"

"We can distract him," Troy told Robo-Knight. "He'll be so busy trying to steal our shadows and take us out, you'll be able to open fire on hm."

"But…"

"Robo-Knight, we're a team," Gia grabbed his arm again and looked him right in the eyes. "We all want to see this mutant destroyed, just like you."

"Your plan is illogical," Robo-Knight shook his head. "Since I've been in operation, you've been telling me not to do anything that would put your lives or the lives of others in danger, and now you expect me to let this monster attack you?"

"It's a risk," Troy said, "but when he tries to steal shadows, he opens himself up to attack. That's when you can get a shot in and destroy him."

"But…"

"Robo-Knight, come on!" Gia shouted and shoved him. "We're Rangers too. We share the same goals. You've had an hour of trying to kick this guy's ass by yourself and look where that's gotten you? Do you think, maybe, we can try things our way?"

"He's not going to have a choice," Noah said and pointed to the mutant, "Fire ball, coming straight towards us!"

"Rangers, get out of the way!" Troy shouted and everyone but Robo-Knight dove off to the side. The mutant's fire attack flew over all of them except Robo-Knight, who took the blast right in the chest. He flew back until he hit the tree and when he looked up after catching his bearings he saw the Rangers were on the attack. They were extremely vulnerable to Shadow Serpent's shadow stealing abilities, but Robo-Knight analyzed the way they moved and protected each other from harm. When one of them was knocked down and vulnerable, someone else would jump into battle and either cover them, or attack Shadow Serpent before he could hurt their friends.

Then, he noticed something else about the way the Rangers were attacking. They weren't just trying to distract and defend each other from the mutant. Every so often, the Rangers would leave the mutant exposed to Robo-Knight, which opened him up to attack. The Rangers, while keeping the mutant distracted, were making Robo-Knight's job at destroying him a lot easier. Robo-Knight got to his feet again and analysed the Rangers' moves. They were trying their best, to leave the mutant vulnerable for as long as they could, but if Robo-Knight wanted to finish off the monster without hurting his teammates or destroying the park he needed to time all his shots right.

First, Emma took on the Shadow Serpent. She blocked and attack with her Phoenix Shot and then grabbed the mutant by the arm. She held him still for five seconds, long enough for Robo-Knight to fire a blast and hit the mutant right in the back.

It wasn't enough. Shadow Serpent recoiled slightly from being hit, but struck Emma down. As he was about to deliver his final blow, Noah shot at him with his Shark Bowgun. Noah's shots were relentless and they made Shadow Serpent stumble backwards. While he was busy trying to avoid Noah's attacks, Robo-Knight fired another round.

"You think this is going to work?" Shadow Serpent shouted. Noah shot at him once more but he deflected the blast and sent it right back. Before it could hit the blue Ranger, Jake and his Snake Axe jumped in the way. The blast took the blast, protecting both of them, and then Jake rushed into battle. He swung his axe, hoping to maybe take off the serpent's head. Again, Shadow Serpent found himself on the defensive and Robo-Knight saw his chance. He shot again. This time, Shadow Serpent dropped to his knees.

"It's not over yet," Gia cried out and struck him across the back with her Tiger Claw. Shadow Serpent let out a cry of pain as he fell forward. While he was on the ground, he was sure the yellow Ranger was going to try and finish him off, but she moved out of the way and he was blasted again. Shadow Serpent finally put the pieces together and saw it was Robo-Knight blasting him with the powerful shots. He struggled to get up to his feet and then set his sights on the robot. Robo-Knight fired again but Shadow Serpent deflected the blast.

"You can't defeat me!" he cried out and then felt something go through his back. He glanced over for just a minute and saw the red Ranger and plunged his sword in his back. Everything faded to black as he dropped to the ground, dead.

"Teamwork," Troy looked to Robo-Knight and nodded his head. "You take the power of one and multiply it by five."

"Maybe I do have something to learn," Robo-Knight agreed and then saw the mutant starting to grow. The Rangers looked up. The battle wasn't over yet.

Suddenly, the Rangers' morphers went off. Troy looked to his power card and then to his morpher.

"Uh, Gosei, this better be more important that a giant snail attacking the city."

"Vrak's been spotted in the city," Gosei announced.

"He's attacking in your neighbourhood, pink and yellow Rangers!" Tensou cried.

"Can't I get, like, five minutes?" Emma muttered.

"I'll take care of the snail," Robo-Knight said. "Go stop Vrak."

Troy nodded his head but when he turned around to give out the orders to his team he saw they had already run off. "Guys, wait up!"


	20. Vrak's Attack

Vrak was never good. Vrak always had something up his sleeve, and he always caused trouble for the Rangers. The last time they had met him, he sent them to the future where he had already taken over the Earth and he ruled over everyone and everything. He made it difficult, but not impossible for the Rangers to get home, as he overestimated his power and underestimated the strength of his servants.

But though he was beaten, he had taken something from the Rangers. Gia hadn't returned home with the others. She had almost been killed in the future, and had it not been for some quick thinking from Emma's future boyfriend, never would have made it back to the present.

Vrak was dangerous. Needless to say, the Rangers didn't want him anywhere near their parents. When they got the call from Tensou and Gosei that Vrak was attacking the neighbourhood where Gia and Emma lived, it was a race to get there before he could do anything to their mothers.

For a neighbourhood under attack, the streets were calm. Doors were shut tight, windows were closed, and the curtains were shut, but there was no sign of an attack, except from Gia and Emma's home.

"Come on!" Emma was fastest to run, with Gia right behind her. They had only just defeated the monster that had frozen her mother for a couple of days. Emma wasn't about to lose her again, especially permanently. She ran as fast as he legs would carry her and had her Phoenix Shot in hand, ready to use.

"I'm going to kill this bastard," Gia muttered. She could see through the kitchen window that Vrak had her mother and Mrs. Goodall cornered. She threw her Tiger Claw at the window to smash the glass and she and the Rangers jumped through. Gia and the boys set their sights on Vrak and tried to take him down or at least chase him away from the house. Emma ran over to her mother and Mrs. Moran.

"Thank goodness you're here," Mrs. Goodall said as she grabbed the pink Ranger's arm. Emma wanted to hug her mother. She was so relieved to see she wasn't frozen anymore and there seemed to be no effects from the spell, however, she was still in her Ranger uniform and her mother had no idea who she really was. Emma's eyes watered behind her helmet but she made sure she looked strong and confident.

"What happened?"

"I… I have no idea," her mother explained so Emma turned to Mrs. Moran. She saw, to her horror, Mrs. Moran was blue in the face. She couldn't breathe.

"What happened to her?" Emma asked as she knelt beside Mrs. Moran. The yellow Rangers' mother grabbed her arms desperately, begging for help as she also tried to gasp for breath that wouldn't come.

"One minute, I was on my way to my car after work, the next I'm at home and there's this monster in my kitchen! He was attacking my best friend. I tried to fight him off but he did this! She can't breathe! Please, pink Ranger, you have to help her!"

Emma nodded her head and then noticed a collar around Mrs. Moran's neck. She tried to take it off but it was stuck. She tried to pull at it to loosen it so Mrs. Moran could breathe bit it was stiff. Nothing she did could help. Mrs. Moran started to slump, and her eyes were rolling back into her head and Emma knew she didn't have a lot of time left.

"Keep her comfortable," Emma told her mother as she laid Mrs. Moran in her arms and then stood up. She turned around to the battle happening behind her and pointed her Phoenix Shot at Vrak but she didn't have time to take a shot. Vrak finished off the other Rangers and opened his arms wide, ready for her attack, which made Emma hesitate. What did he want?

Gia, as she tried to get up after being knocked down, glanced over to check up on her mother and Mrs. Goodall. Her temper flared when she saw her mother lying limp and Mrs. Goodall frantically calling for her to wake up.

"What did you do?" Gia jumped to her feet but Vrak stepped backwards with a smirk.

"A deal was made," Vrak told her. "However, I thought you might need a little encouragement to follow through."

"What deal?"

"Did you really think I wouldn't notice one Ranger missing after you came back from the future?" Vrak asked with a little laugh. "I thought you Rangers knew me better than that. Of course I'd be curious. Of course I'd go out looking for you, yellow Ranger."

"Rangers, please!" Mrs. Goodall called out as she held Mrs. Moran close to her chest. "Do something!"

"Just jump to the deal, Vrak. What's the deal?" Gia asked. "What do you want?"

"I had you dead to rights, yellow Ranger," Vrak said, "But I chose to let you live. Your little hero brought it to my attention that in doing so, your life was owed to me."

"Yeah, right," Jake scoffed and shook his head. "There's no way that's happening…"

"Will you let her go?" Gia asked and pointed to her mother. Vrak nodded his head and from behind his back he produced a remote.

"I push the button, she breathed again," he nodded. "Simple as that. You come with me, and she lives."

"Deal."

"Yellow," Troy grabbed her arm.

"Sensors indicate she has thirty seconds to live, Rangers," Vrak taunted as he waved his remote around. Jake charged at him with his axe, but Vrak stepped aside at the last second and Jake's momentum caused him to fall forward and hit the ground. "Twenty seconds…"

"It's a deal, Vrak."

"Your weapon," Vrak pointed to her Tiger Claw, "Trust me, with the power I will give to you, you won't need it."

Gia dropped her Tiger Claw.

"Your morpher too," Vrak said. Gia glanced over her shoulder and hoped Mrs. Goodall would be focused on Mrs. Moran. Unfortunately, she was watching the scene intensely, hoping the Rangers could find a way to help Mrs. Moran quickly.

Gia powered down regardless and dropped her morpher. Vrak tossed his remote over to the red Ranger while he grabbed Gia's arm.

"You will tame the Wild Sword or you and your mother will be killed."

"Gia?" Mrs. Goodall asked as she recognized her best friends' daughter once she powered down. "No, Gia! No!"

But it was too late. Vrak and Gia were already gone. Troy had the remote and pressed the only button on it which released Mrs. Moran from the collar around her neck. Jake practically flew to Mrs. Moran's side as she slowly started to breathe again and slowly came to. Mrs. Goodall was up on her feet and grabbed Troy by the arms.

"What's going on?" she screamed at him. "Why is Gia...? Why did he… what's happening?"

"Mam…"

"Get her back! That's my niece!"

"Red, we should go back to the command center," Noah called out to Troy and gestured to the morphers. "Vrak mentioned something that might be important."

"We'll get your niece back," Troy assured Mrs. Goodall. He nodded to the other Rangers. Emma picked up Gia's morpher and suddenly they were all gone. Mrs. Goodall started to pace around as she tried to put together the piece of what had happened.

"Is… is Gia a Power Ranger?"

"Claire?" Mrs. Moran called weakly. She could just barely manage to sit up by herself, but Mrs. Goodall rushed to her side to help her. "Claire… what… what's going on?"

"Okay… Vanessa, don't freak out… because I know I am…"


	21. Black Mountains

Mrs. Moran felt like she couldn't breathe, and this time it had nothing to do with a collar. It did, however, have everything to do with the maniac that put the collar around her.

"Vrak has my daughter!"

"And she's the yellow Ranger," Mrs. Goodall added, though she wasn't sure that would calm Mrs. Moran down, it needed to be said. It was certainly big news.

"Vrak has my daughter!"

"The Rangers are working on it," Mrs. Goodall reassured her, "You know, because she's one of them. It's no wonder she wears yellow all the time."

"Vrak has my daughter!"

"Vanessa, I think you're kind of missing the second part of this shocking news," Mrs. Goodall took her friend in her arms, "Look, we just have to put our faith that the other Rangers will save her. I mean, this must happen all the time. I'm sure they'll get her back."

"Claire, he's going to kill her…"

"The Rangers will bring her home," Mrs. Goodall said. She walked Mrs. Moran over to the couch and helped her sit down. "We just… we need to be waiting for her when she gets back. Why don't I make us some tea?"

"Yeah… sure," Mrs. Moran nodded her head and hugged her knees to her chest as her best friend got up. As soon as Mrs. Goodall left the room, Mrs. Moran tried to make a run for it. She barely got into the hallway when she was tackled to the ground and pinned down.

"You can't trick me like that," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "Vanessa, don't be stupid. The Rangers are taking care of this. We can talk to Gia about everything when she gets home. I'm sure she'll be able to answer all our questions."

"Claire, Vrak has my baby!" Mrs. Moran screamed before she sobbed into the floor. "He's going to kill her. Claire, I can't lose her."

"It'll be okay. She'll be fine. She's… she's a Power Ranger. She can handle this… I hope."

-Megaforce-

In the Command Center, Emma was barely listening as Gosei explained to the Rangers what he knew about the Wild Sword. Noah had heard Vrak mention it to Gia and so far it was the only clue they had as to what he wanted with her and where he was going to take it.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and saw Troy standing behind her with a soft look. She sighed.

"I've just… got a lot going on," she whispered. "We were supposed to beat that stupid Snail, and then go home so I could get some answers."

"Answers?"

"Dude…" Jake grumbled as he looked over his console, "No way. We lost the game! All the papers are blaming me."

"Jake, we have more important things to worry about," Noah reminded him. "Case in point: your girlfriend."

"Dude, I know. I'm just checking the score. I was hoping for some good news. Tensou, any luck locating that Wild Sword."

"I have the Black Mountains," Tensou pulled up a map, "I'm sorry to say I can't get any more specific."

"Perfect."

Troy sighed and turned back to Emma. He offered her a sympathetic smile. "We'll get Gia back, stop Vrak from getting whatever he wants, and then you can go home and get those answers."

"Answers? What answers?" Noah over head the Sky Rangers talking and couldn't help but be curious. Emma breathed out a heavy sigh and turned to her console.

"I… I've kind of learned something about myself the other day," she whispered. "Mom was frozen, though, so I couldn't really learn much."

"What did you learn?"

"Dad's not… my dad."

There was a silence in the command center for a moment before Jake frowned and shrugged his shoulders, "Alright, so… that's good right? I mean, the maniac who went postal and tried to shoot Gia because her dad was taking care of you isn't your dad. All's fair."

"Jake, it's a little more complicated than that," Noah smacked his best friend in the arm and then turned to Emma, "Do you know who he is?"

"I wanted to talk to mom," Emma said. "Gia and Mrs. Moran say she doesn't know anything, but… I don't know, maybe she figured something out the day she was frozen, and she couldn't say anything because she was frozen. I wanted to stop the monster and then go home and get some answers."

"Look, if you need to sit out…"

"Sit out rescuing Gia from Vrak?" Emma asked Troy in disbelief, "Have you lost your mind? For starters, she's my best friend! She's always looking out for me! I've got to be there to help her."

"Whoa, sorry, I'm just trying to help."

Emma took a deep breath and calmed herself down, "Sorry. It's just… yeah, that for one. Also… I don't know if I want to get answers without Gia. Dad might not be the maniac behind bars, but who knows who he could be. Jordan's all the way upstate so at least if Gia's there, I've got someone…"

"Rangers, you're going to have to start looking for yourselves," Tensou said. "The energy readings from the Black Mountains are off the charts! There's no way I can pinpoint Gia or Vrak's locations."

"What energy readings?" Emma asked. "Aren't the Black Mountains just…"

"I heard Vrak talking about the Wild Sword," Noah said and he flicked his thumb over to Gosei, "According to our mentor here, the Wild Sword's got incredible power."

"It was made to defend the Earth, but it was impossible to control," Troy finished for Noah. "It was buried away for everyone's protection."

"Vrak must be trying to harness its power for himself," Gosei said. "Rangers, you need to stop him. That much power in his hands will mean disaster for everyone."

"If he's going after a powerful sword, why did he want Gia?" Emma asked.

"You want to wait and find out?" Jake asked her. Emma shook her head and then turned to Tensou.

"Any hints on where this sword might be?"

"Black Mountains," Tensou shrugged. "I'm sorry, Rangers, that's all I can tell you."

"I guess that's all we need," Troy said. "Alright, guys, we know Vrak can be sneaky. Let's be careful, but let's get the job done. Vrak's not getting anything he wants."


	22. Wild Sword Wild News

Gia looked around, feeling a little shiver travel up her spine. This was an area of the city she had never been, and she could see why.

The mountains were huge and it was a rough climb. That alone made it difficult to get around, but the forest was also very dense. Though she wanted desperately to get away from Vrak, she honestly felt safest sticking close to him. He seemed to know where he was going, and for some reason he wanted her alive.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked. Vrak turned to her and looked reluctant to speak, but so far everything had gone well. She hadn't tried to escape yet and he would eventually have to tell her what to do anyways.

"I've recently located a source of power that should be able to wipe out you pathetic Rangers and this planet. However, when I tried reaching it, I found my path was blocked."

"Do you need me to slay a dragon?" Gia taunted him. "C'mon, Vrak, I know I'm no princess, but seriously, where's your chivalry?"

"The source of power is called the Wild Sword. According to your Earth Legends it was created to protect this planet…"

"So how exactly are you going to use it to destroy the Earth?"

"I'm not. The Wild Sword was created to protect your planet, but it was deemed too powerful. It could not be controlled and so it needed to be sealed away within the Earth for everyone's safety. I believe I have what it takes to tame the sword, and I can use its powers to help me in my mission."

"Why am I here?"

"The Wild Sword is guarded by a force field. I am not able to get close to it."

"You think I can?"

"I have nothing to lose by trying. Either you retrieve the sword or it kills you."

"And if I do retrieve it, who says I'm giving it to you? Who says I'll do anything you ask once I have this mighty and powerful sword in my hands?"

Gia crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. Suddenly she felt pain travel through her body and dropped to her knees, then the ground, and twitched. When the pain stopped, Gia looked up and saw Vrak standing over her.

"Painful, isn't it?" he asked her and his hands moved in closer to her neck. Gia was still dizzy and shocked from her experience she couldn't stop him clipping around what felt like a collar. "I'll train you just like I plan on training my new weapon. Both of you will have no choice but to obey me."

"Yeah right," Gia muttered but she was shocked again. Vrak knelt beside her as the electricity passed through her body.

"You forget I spared your life. You belong to me now."

"I…d-d-don't-t belooong to an-y-bo-d-dy…"

"We'll change that," Vrak said and the electricity stopped. He pulled her up to her feet and started to drag her along. "Come on, pet."

"I'm not a pet," Gia growled and pulled away from Vrak, but he shocked her again. Gia grabbed at the collar around her neck and tried as much as she could to pull it off, but it was stuck.

"You're only doing this to yourself," Vrak told her when he stopped the shocks and started to drag her again.

-Megaforce-

Mrs. Moran was pacing in the living room, desperate to hear some news about her daughter or to see her come home while Mrs. Goodall waited for the water to boil for their tea. Finally fed up with her pacing and not doing anything, Mrs. Moran stomped into the kitchen and sat at the table.

"I hate this part."

"We'll get answers," Mrs. Goodall assured her. "Gia's a tough girl and she's got the Power Rangers looking out for her. I don't know how she got herself caught up in that mess, but at least she's got some strong…"

"Claire, take a seat," Mrs. Moran pointed to Mrs. Goodall's chair at the table. Mrs. Goodall started to pour the tea.

"It's pretty exciting when you think about it," Mrs. Goodall said. "I mean, I'm worried for Gia. I hope she comes home safe, but can you believe it, Vanessa? Your daughter is a Power Ranger."

"Yeah, I'm thrilled," Mrs. Moran rolled her eyes. "Especially about the part where Vrak used me to kidnap my daughter. Do you understand how helpless I feel?"

"The Power Rangers will…"

"Claire, this isn't good news! It's not even news!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The girls coming home late? The bruises? Them running off all the time."

"They're active kids. They're teenagers, Vanessa. They don't want to be cooped up inside all day. Although, I guess that does explain Gia's weird behaviour recently, and especially how her back suddenly healed up once she was out of the hospital. What kind of technology do you think is in those suits?"

"Not enough," Mrs. Moran muttered. "Claire…"

"Although, you know what I don't understand," Mrs. Goodall continued, "Her grades! I mean, the Power Rangers have been in town for several months now. Gia's been in school for most of the time they've been active. You know, monsters don't always wait until the end of the day to start attacking the city. She must miss out on a lot of school…"

"Claire, she's been put into a special class because she's a Power Ranger."

"Emma's in that class," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "It's an experimental class. To see if smaller class sizes and personalized lessons are really beneficial for students…"

"Of course it's beneficial! That study's been done! It's also beneficial to students who had to miss half the school year for Ranger missions and because they need to fight off monsters invading the city! Claire, don't tell me you can't put these clues together."

"I…"

"I'm so proud of my daughter and all she's doing as a Ranger," Mrs. Moran said. "But Claire, it's terrifying knowing every day with her could be the last. At any point in the day the girls could be in danger and I'm helpless to stop it! There's danger and violence everywhere, and instead of my baby running away from it and finding somewhere safe, she needs to face it. Her life is her only shield! To top it all off, right now she's voluntarily off with one of the most dangerous alien bastards you'll ever meet in your life!"

"You… you mean you knew?"

"Of course I knew! All this time, you think I can watch my daughter on TV and not know it's her?"

"Wait… wait, you said… you said girls. At any point the girls can be in danger."

"Claire…"

"Emma's not caught up in this, is she?" Mrs. Goodall asked and shook her head. "No… I mean… no way. Gia… Gia, I get. She's always been tough and strong and if I'm honest, a little scary. But Emma… Emma's… she can't be a Power Ranger."

"Pink," Mrs. Moran nodded her head. She reached out and touched Mrs. Goodall's hand, "Emma is the pink Ranger."

"No… no that's… she's just a little girl," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "She's my baby. She can't be… my… My Emma can't be a Power Ranger."

"She is."

"You knew… wait, all this time, you… you knew?"

"Joe and I found out a while ago. I know the girls, Claire. Even with a suit and mask, there's no mistaking them. I know, and the girls know I know. But we've been trying to keep it from you. Believe me, Claire, it was better if you never found out."

Mrs. Goodall placed her hand over her heart and leaned back against her seat, "This is… this is just unbelievable. All this time…"

"The Power Rangers aren't just superheroes anymore, are they?"

"No… no they… oh, God, Vanessa!" Mrs. Goodall threw her arms around Mrs. Moran. "I… I should have stopped her. I should have tried harder. I should have let him take me. I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright, Claire. There's… you didn't know. There's nothing you could have done," Mrs. Moran shook her head. She got up from the table and went to pour the tea that was finally ready. "For now, all we have to do is wait and hope for the best."

Mrs. Goodall nodded her head, but still couldn't get past the shock. Then, on the table, she caught a glimpse of the paternity test that proved her ex-husband wasn't Emma's father. "Vanessa, what is this doing out?"

"A monster froze you," Mrs. Moran explained, "In the time you were frozen, Emma found out."

Mrs. Goodall's face fell, "How… how did she take it?"

"In true Ranger fashion, I guess," Mrs. Moran sighed. "Ran off, put her life in danger, and was rescued and reassured everything would be okay just in time. By the way, now that you know, I've got a rulebook hidden in my bedroom about what Ranger teenagers are and aren't allowed to do. Rock-climbing without a morpher: no. Not getting homework done because a giant bug is attacking the city: yes. Not getting homework done when there is no giant bug attacking the city: no."

"Seriously?"

"It's all I can do," Mrs. Moran sighed.

Mrs. Goodall shrugged her shoulders and reached for the paternity papers as a new wave of guilt washed over her. Before learning her daughter was a Power Ranger (which she still couldn't believe) she felt this was a lot to drop on her. And it was. No daughter should have to learn her father was no who she thought he was. But now, more than ever, Mrs. Goodall wanted to find an answer for her daughter. When Emma came back from her mission Mrs. Goodall wanted to be able to sit with her and have all the answers Emma wanted. Her daughter didn't deserve anymore weight on her shoulders than she already had.

"By the way," Mrs. Moran said as she brought over the tea, "Anything on that?"

"Nope."

"Claire…"

"I know, I'm a horrible person."

"Emma deserves better than this. Claire, you need to…"

"I know… I know… Vanessa, I'm trying as hard as I can. Do you have any idea how bad I feel."

Mrs. Moran reached her hand out and touched Mrs. Goodall's arm, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Tell me Emma's birth father?"

"I… hmm…" Mrs. Moran pulled her hand back and tapped her chin, "Tensou."

"Tensou?"

"My robot friend," Mrs. Moran nodded her head. "While the Rangers are on their mission, maybe we can play with their computers. Tensou's got some high tech stuff. Maybe he'll have an answer."

"Uh…"

"Just, trust me," Mrs. Moran smiled. She stood up and ran to her bedroom. When she came back, Mrs. Goodall saw something in her hand.

"What's that?"

"Communicator. Hey, Tensou, mind if we come up?"


	23. Vrak's Plans

_Author's Note: Time for another deleted scene and rules are similar to last time. Whoever reviewed the last chapter (Chapter 22) prior to this chapter being posted will be able to receive the deleted scene if you want it._

_Also, I'm feeling playful. Since I've revealed that Mr. Goodall is not Emma's father some of you have been making guesses or really wondering who it may be. I've had a few ideas in mind for a while now and finally settled on one. So, whoever can correctly guess Emma's biological father will also get to read the deleted scene. If that person has already received the deleted scene, they will earn a bonus one. Also, this contest lasts until Emma's father is revealed. Once I post the chapter with Emma's father, I will send the deleted scene to the winner(s)._

_Once again, I remind all anonymous reviewers that I cannot PM you and unfortunately you cannot take part in this little game. Well, you can guess, but without me being able to PM you, I cannot send you the scene if you are correct._

Gia felt Vrak let her go and dropped into the dirt as they reached the top of a little cliff. Vrak looked down over the edge in awe while Gia tried again to pry the collar off her neck.

"There," Vrak said and looked down at Gia to make sure she was looking. When he saw she was preoccupied with the collar he shocked her again. Gia twitched and then tumbled over the side of the cliff and into the crater that seemed to be on the other side. When the shocks stopped and Gia had control over her body again she spit out the dirt from her mouth and glared up at Vrak.

"You could have just pointed."

"It looks like you can get beyond the shield," Vrak smirked. "Already, you're proving useful, pet."

"I'm not your…" Gia started to shout but the collar shocked her again and sent her back to the dirt. Vrak tapped his foot and waited for the shocks to cease.

"In case you haven't noticed," he told Gia when it looked like she was recovering, "The shocks are stronger each time you defy me."

Gia struggled to push herself back up to her feet and glared at Vrak angrily. Fortunately, this time he pointed.

"The sword is behind you. Retrieve it."

Gia rolled her eyes and turned around. She threw her hands up in the air, "It's embedded in freaking stone!"

"Retrieve it, pet!"

"I am not your…"

Gia dropped to her knees and grabbed her neck. The shocks were really starting to hurt now, making the ones she received on her way up feel like just mild prank buzzes.

"Fine…" she grumbled when she could make it back to her feet, "I'll try. But I make no promises."

-Megaforce-

"These mountains are huge!" Jake cried as he spun around to take in the scene before him, "We're supposed to find a sword in all this?"

"Or Gia," Emma reminded him. "Preferably Gia."

Jake nodded his head. While he understood keeping Vrak away from a very powerful weapon was important, he wanted to make sure his girlfriend was safe. In Vrak's hands, Gia was always in trouble. He had a love of watching her hurt.

Troy, meanwhile, was trying to find his way through the woods, but he couldn't take his eyes off Noah, who had pulled his laptop out of his bag and seemed to be playing around with it. He walked closer to the blue Ranger.

"Even I know you won't be getting internet out here."

"I don't need internet," Noah said. "Tensou gave my computer a little upgrade recently. Our morphers may not be powerful enough to detect where this Wild Sword is hiding, but if it's really as powerful as Tensou and Gosei say it is, then it's got to be giving off an energy reading, especially if Vrak's already found it. I might be able to pinpoint its location, or at the very least narrow down our search."

"If you can, that would be great."

"You know, Vrak's attack didn't seem random," Jake said as he joined the boys in their conversation. "I mean, he must have known Shadow Serpent was attacking the city at the very moment he decided to go after Gia's and Emma's mothers, right? From what we saw, he really only went after Mrs. Moran. And we all know he just wanted Gia. He's got something up his sleeve, doesn't he?"

"That only took you a few hours to find out," Noah muttered. "Good job, Jake. You're getting better."

"No, dude, I mean… what if he needs Gia?" Jake frowned at his best friend. "Like, what if he hasn't just decided it's time to mess with her again. What if he actually needs her for something? What if the Wild Sword needs someone special to tame it or whatever?"

"I know you think Gia's special, Jake," Noah shook his head, "But doesn't that seem a little farfetched? Gosei never said the Wild Sword was created for one specific person. He said it was created to protect the Earth but it's power was too strong."

"Yeah, dude, that's like, basically what I said," Jake shrugged his shoulders and looked to Troy. "Isn't it?

"C'mon, Jake, don't you do any studying?"

"Uh, no," Jake shook his head. Noah rolled his eyes.

"I've been looking into past Rangers. Gia's yellow."

"Now who's slow," Jake chuckled. "Yes, Noah, Gia's yellow, I'm black, Troy's red…"

"No, no. Just pay attention for a minute. Yes, in the past, there have been special powers unlocked when the right person has come along. But that's the red Ranger's job."

"Seriously?"

"Red Rangers are special," Noah nodded his head. "I guess they get chosen for that reason. I mean our red Ranger dreams of the future."

"What if Vrak doesn't know that. What if he thinks Gia's the key to unlocking this mystery power?"

"Red Rangers aren't always special," Troy frowned. "You're the only Sea Ranger on this team. Don't you think that makes you a little more special?"

"I have wondered about that," Noah commented. "Either way, I don't think Vrak's trying to use Gia as a key."

"But he targeted her specifically. He always likes messing around with her…"

"Gia was really vulnerable when we first became Rangers. Maybe Vrak hasn't moved past that. Besides, he's learned a lot about her…"

"Guys!" Emma screamed and they all stopped walking and turned around to look at her. She rolled her eyes and glared at them impatiently. "Come on, I've been calling you all for five minutes now. People have always ignored me in favour of Gia, but this is a little ridiculous!"

"What's up, Emma?" Troy asked. Emma pointed to Noah's laptop.

"It's been beeping for five minutes now."

Noah checked his laptop and gasped, seeing he had managed to pick up on something, "It's weak, but I am getting a very strange reading."

"Is it Gia?" Jake asked.

"It's not human, and it's not Vrak either… at least, as far as I can tell. It might be the Wild Sword."

"Let's check it out," Troy said. Jake grabbed his arm.

"Dude, but Gia…"

"Noah says Vrak mentioned the Wild Sword when he took her," Troy said. "They might already be there, or if we're really lucky, we might be able to cut them off."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Emma asked. She glanced at Noah's screen to see where she needed to go and then started to run. Jake and Troy were right on her heels. Noah examined the map a little closer and then started to stuff his laptop back into his bag.

"Guys, c'mon! Wait up!"


	24. Ultra Powers

_Author's Note: I've seen some interesting guesses for Emma's father so far. Anyone confident they're right? Will that change with this chapter? Keep guessing, guys! There's still a deleted/bonus scene going out to anyone who can guess correctly!_

Gia gulped as she approached the Wild Sword. She didn't know how deep it was embedded into stone, but she had a bad feeling about what would come next. Either she couldn't pull it out which would mean Vrak would shock her until she died or until she did, or she did pull it out and then she couldn't imagine what she would have to suffer through to harness it's powers and keep it away from Vrak. If this Sword was as powerful as Vrak claimed it was, she really didn't want it in his hands, and would have to do anything possible to keep it away from him.

Nervously, she reached out and touched the sword. There was no energy coming off of it, but Gia knew it was powerful. She wrapped her hand around it and started to pull. Easily enough, it slipped out of the stone, and she held it in her hands for a brief moment before something powerful hit her. She was knocked back into the wall of the crater while the Wild Sword flew up into the air and roared.

"Yes!" Vrak cried as he jumped for it, but when he caught the sword in his hands it shocked him. He was forced to let it go and held his hand in pain while the Wild Sword roared angrily at him.

"Pet!"

"I am not your…" Gia screamed again but felt a shock from her collar. She dropped to her knees, "What?"

"Grab it!"

"Great," Gia muttered. "As if being shocked on my neck isn't bad enough."

She climbed out of the crater and reached out to the Wild Sword. To her surprise, it didn't shock her, but it did attack her. With its pointed edge it swiped at her hand, slashing through the skin. Gia pulled her hand back and wiped the blood on her pants, "Ow, you little shit. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm the good guy."

"Grab it, pet! Before it gets away!"

Not wanting to be shocked and slashed, Gia did as she was told. She reached out again to the Wild Sword and it turned on her again. This time, she pulled her hand away but the sword went for the throat. Gia didn't feel the hit or a cut. Instead she heard a clang and then felt a slight shock. She winced and closed her eyes as a little electricity passed through her body. When she recovered and opened her eyes, she looked down and saw the Wild Sword on the ground. It was crying out, but not in anger. It seemed it also didn't like being shocked. Seeing it was weak, she picked it up. The Wild Sword cried out in her hands, but it couldn't attack her.

"Interesting," Vrak smiled to himself as he watched Gia hold the Wild Sword, "I have a better idea for you yet."

Gia looked up at him and then to the Wild Sword. It was fighting to be freed from her hand but she couldn't let it go. If she did, she knew Vrak would try to go after it. In her hands, it was safe.

But it would be safer if it were further from Vrak. Just as he opened his mouth to explain to her what he wanted her to do next, she turned around and tried to run. She didn't get far before her collar shocked her. She dropped to the ground as she twitched and cried out in pain, but she wouldn't let go of the sword.

"You don't learn," Vrak said as he stood over her. "You are my pet. You will do as I say. Your life is mine."

Gia shook her head. The shocks were beginning to die so she got to her hands and knees. She took a deep breath to recompose herself and then tried to jump up so she could run again. The collar shocked her again. Just like Vrak had pointed out, the shocks were getting worse and worse every time and now they were almost unbearable.

"You're going to get yourself killed, pet," Vrak shook his head as Gia twitched on the ground. While the collar shocked her, he decided to take the sword for himself. He grabbed the sword but he couldn't pry it from Gia's hand. He continued to shock her as he demanded she let go, but she wouldn't. Finally, enough was enough. Vrak ceased the shocks and let Gia and the sword writhe around in pain. He tapped his foot impatiently, "I do not have time for this, pet. You will do as I say, or I will use this sword to take out your heart."

When Gia could control her body again, she looked up at Vrak and tightened her grip on the Wild Sword. She used it to help her get back to her feet and then stood before Vrak.

"Good. Now, my pet, we will begin training. Once you and the sword are one…"

Vrak was cut off as Gia raised the sword and slashed him across the chest. A blast shot out from the sword and Vrak flew backwards until he hit a tree. Gia was also hit by the blast and landed back on the ground. Her collar shocked her again.

"Gia!" Jake cried out as the Megaforce Rangers appeared from the bottom of the cliff. Troy and Noah stopped before her and put themselves between her and Vrak while Jake and Emma dropped by her sides. Jake tried to reach for her to see what was wrong but Emma slapped his hands away.

"Don't touch her!"

"Emma…"

"Do you want to be shocked too?" Emma asked him. Jake shook his head and looked down helplessly as the collar finished with Gia's punishment. When she was done twitching, Jake didn't waste another moment. He scooped her up in his arms and cradled her softly against his chest.

"It's over," he promised her.

Vrak used a low branch to pull himself up from the ground and chuckled when he saw the other Rangers had found him, "You're too late. I've already claimed the Wild Sword. Its power is mine!"

"Where is it, then, Vrak?" Troy asked and not just to taunt his unarmed foe. He really couldn't see the Wild Sword. He cast a quick glance to Noah and thought maybe the blue Ranger had his eyes on it. Noah shook his head.

"Incoming!" Jake cried out and pointed to the skies as the Wild Sword came soaring down. He covered Gia's body with his own while the other Rangers took cover. The Wild Sword came down straight for them and Vrak laughed loudly as he watched, but just before colliding with the Rangers it changes its course and headed straight for him. Vrak reached out to grab it, but the sword attacked.

"What? No! Pet, control your weapon!"

"Pet?" Emma asked and then looked down at Gia. She noticed the collar around her neck and her face turned red. Jake glanced at her and he was fearful. He had never seen Emma so angry – and she had gotten very angry with him before.

"She's not your pet!" Emma screamed and her Phoenix Shot appeared in her hand. Taking only enough time to aim her shot correctly, Emma fired instantly at Vrak and knocked him back into the dirt. However, a part of her shot hit the Wild Sword and it cried out in rage and pain. Energy seemed to burst from it as it started to fly wildly through the air. Nearby leaves, branches, and entire trees came crashing down from its strength and rocks started to fall from the surrounding mountains.

"It's out of control!" Troy shouted and grabbed Noah and Emma as he jumped to the ground, narrowly missing being stabbed through the chest by the Wild Sword as it flew by.

"Troy, right now would be a really great time for that special red Ranger crap," Noah said. "Gosei said the Wild Sword was too powerful for its own good. What if we can help it control its power?"

"And how am I supposed to do that?"

"The sword was made to protect the Earth! That's our mission too," Noah reminded Troy. "We've got to let it know we all share the same purpose."

"No!" Vrak shouted and shot his blaster at the Rangers to keep him down. "The Wild Sword is mine! Pet!"

"She's not your pet!" Jake cried back but he felt Gia stir in his arms. He looked down and saw she was trying to get up. He shook his head, "Gia, no. You can't let him control you!"

Gia didn't say anything. She used his shoulder to push herself up to her feet and managed to catch the Wild Sword as it came by. Vrak smiled and extended his hand as he demanded Gia hand him his sword. Gia glared at him and then, again, started to run with the sword. She only made it a few steps before her collar decided to shock her again.

"She doesn't learn!" Vrak cried out as he stepped forward to take the sword himself.

"For once, I agree with the alien bastard," Jake muttered as he jumped to his feet and blocked Vrak's path. He summoned his Snake Axe. "If you think you're getting anywhere near Gia or the Wild Sword, you need to think again."

"We're not letting you get that sword!" Troy cried out as he and Noah stood behind Vrak with their weapons at the ready. Vrak glanced to his side and saw Emma with her Phoenix Shot trained on him. Noah nodded to Troy.

"Seriously, go… talk to the sword or something."

"Talk to it?"

"Is that really the weirdest thing you've done since becoming a Ranger?" Noah asked him. "Go. We'll keep Vrak here."

Troy nodded his head and dropped his weapon. He ran over to Gia and the Wild Sword. Very carefully, he touched the blade of the sword and stroked it.

"We know why you were created, Wild Sword," he started. "You have to protect the Earth. That's our mission too. Is there any way we can work together?"

The Wild Sword tried to fight, but it seemed weakened – defeated almost. Troy took the sword from Gia's hands and held it gently.

"We're defenders of the Earth," he said. "We share one mission. Wild Sword, we need your power. We need to protect this planet from monsters like Vrak. They want to destroy it!"

A light started to glow from the head of the dragon on the Wild Sword. Troy turned to face it and was surprised when he could see the spirit of the dragon. He then smiled as he felt the dragon's energy coursing through his body. He held the Wild Sword and got to his feet. The sword suddenly shifted in his hand as it transformed and the head of the dragon detached and turned into a mini-dragon Zord. Then the head began to split into five, each coloured just like the Rangers.

"Guys… guys, I did it!"

Troy took his mini Zord in his hand and placed it on the ball of his new Ultra Zord. More power began to course through him and when he looked down he saw gold armour covered his chest. He turned to his friends and saw they had received the same power up.

"We look pretty bad ass," Jake commented and then tapped the head sticking out from the armour on his chest, "Probably would have preferred a snake, though."

The dragon on his chest let out a little roar. Jake pulled his hand away, "Uh, I mean, dragons are pretty cool too."

"Gia?" Emma bounced over when she saw Gia was on her feet, morphed, and powered up like the rest of the Rangers. "You're okay?"

"For now. We'll see about later," Gia answered. She pointed her sword at Vrak, "Who's the pet now?"

"Oh… shit…"

"We've bonded with the dragon spirit within the Wild Sword!" Troy called out. "Its powers are connected to ours! You don't stand a chance against us, Vrak!"

"We'll see about that! Shiny new armour can't protect you from me!"

Vrak rushed into battle but he was strongly outmatched. Anytime he could land an attack on the Rangers, their new armour protected them. Vrak quickly learned his attacks were futile.

"No… no… this isn't fair!" he ran backwards as he tried to get away from the Rangers. He pulled out a control from behind his back and pressed the button. He looked to the yellow Ranger in time to see her Ultra Sword sweep across his chest, tearing through his armour. He dropped to the ground, then looked up and disappeared before the Rangers could finish him off.

"Yeah! Run, you coward!" Jake shouted to the spot where Vrak had been and then turned to Gia as she powered down and fell into his arms. He caught her and hugged her tight. "Let's have Tensou check you out and then we'll get you back home."

"This power is incredible," Noah said as he admired his new suit. "I can't wait to begin analyzing it! I wonder what else it can do."

"For once, I think I can't wait to use my Ranger powers again," Troy nodded his head and powered down. "Rebecca's going to be so jealous too. She's already whining because I tell her she can't try on the spandex."

"Guys, can we admire our new toys later?" Emma asked and waved her morpher, "Command center? Remember?"

Troy and Noah nodded their heads and at once the tree of them teleported up to the command center.

-Megaforce-

Meanwhile, in the command center, Mrs. Moran had explained Mrs. Goodall's problem to Tensou and asked if he could help out. Mrs. Goodall heard the robot agree to do his best and then he pulled a hair out from her head. He muttered something about already having a sample, but wanting to double check first that Mrs. Goodall was indeed Emma's mother before he started to search for her father.

While he got started on his research, Mrs. Goodall took a seat on the floor. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. Though she had spent a couple of days frozen and doing nothing, she hadn't been able to sleep and with all the chaos she was currently going through with Vrak attacking her and Mrs. Moran in their home, kidnapping Gia, and discovering the identities of the Rangers, she felt she needed a break. Mrs. Moran seemed too busy to even think of resting, though. With her daughter still in the hands of an evil alien, she wanted to keep her eyes focused on the mission to getting her daughter back. Mrs. Goodall didn't think Mrs. Moran could understand much of the technology in the command center or what it had to do with the Rangers' current mission, but she was sure Mrs. Moran would do what she could.

Eventually, sleep overcame Mrs. Goodall. It was a light sleep. She could still hear Tensou's wheels rolling as he moved around the command center, or his hands clicking on keys. She could hear Mrs. Moran tapping her foot and occasionally speaking with someone, but she was asleep.

Then she started dreaming. As the real world faded away she found herself in a bar, and not a bar from recent times. People seemed to be dressed and behaving differently, and the architecture of the bar was very different from what Mrs. Goodall would see now. She recognized it from a long time ago. When she saw a half empty drink in her hand and a ring on that same finger she knew where she had seen the bar before. This wasn't just a dream. It was a memory. This was a bar she had gone too before getting pregnant with Emma. In fact, it was the only bar Mrs. Goodall remembered visiting between the time she and Mr. Goodall decided to try for a baby and when Mrs. Goodall found out she was pregnant.

"Care for another?" someone approached her from behind and offered her a second glass of what she was currently drinking. Mrs. Goodall nodded her head. Tonight was a night where she didn't want to worry about anything. For months she and her husband had been trying for a baby. Her best friend, whom hadn't even been trying, had just announced they were expecting, and while it was good news for Mrs. Goodall, it was also a bit of a kick in the gut. She wanted a child. She wanted a chance for her marriage to finally come together. She wanted the baby to make her and her husband feel more like a family. Mrs. Moran, her best friend, wasn't really ready for a baby and had just announced she wanted to wait another year before trying, and yet she was already expecting.

So for one night, while she wasn't yet pregnant, Mrs. Goodall would go all out. She would drink and have fun and not have a care in the world. She hoped maybe one night without any thoughts of having a baby would somehow get her pregnant.

In other words, she was already a little drunk when she accepted the drink from the stranger. Mrs. Goodall looked across the booth to see his face, but she couldn't remember it. She had a feeling about this person, though.

"So, babe, what are you doing out here? Where's the boyfriend?"

"My husband is working late," Mrs. Goodall flashed the man her ring. "He might not be home all night. I decided to let loose for once and have fun. What about you? Where's the wife?"

She pointed to his ring. He proceeded to take it off."

"Damn thing," he muttered and put the ring in his pocket. Mrs. Goodall couldn't quite make out his face but she knew he was smirking, "I just handed my son off to the sitter. My wife and I are separating but we haven't explained it to him yet. I keep this on so he doesn't get suspicious."

"How old is your son?"

"Almost two."

Mrs. Goodall thought this was a little strange, "He knows what rings mean?"

"He's a smart boy," the man nodded. "So, any friends joining you for the night?"

"Just me," Mrs. Goodall answered. "Just me having a night out by myself."

"Want some company?"

"You're not meeting someone?"

"Just need a night away from the boy from time to time. Just to have fun, you know. What do you say?"

"Right now, my definition of fun is seeing how many drinks I can have before I forget the number for a taxi," Mrs. Goodall finished the drink the man offered her and then got up from her booth, "One more might be my limit, then I'm calling it a night. Thanks for the drink."

As she walked to the bar the man got up and followed her. He grabbed her arm.

"Aw, c'mon. It's Friday and the night's still young. Look, some people are starting to dance. That's harmless enough."

"I don't dance…"

"It'll be fun!" the man insisted as he pulled on her arm. Mrs. Goodall pulled back and freed herself from his grip.

"I said no," she walked up to the bar and got the barman's attention, "Can you call me a cab?"

The barman nodded and Mrs. Goodall leaned against the bar. Suddenly, she began to feel light-headed. The room started to spin and she felt like she was going to be sick. Someone wrapped their arms around her.

"Wow, maybe you have had enough. Look, don't worry about the cab, I'll take you home. What's your address?"

Suddenly, Mrs. Goodall jolted awake from her sleep by some very bright lights and her daughter's voice as the Rangers returned from battle.

"Mom?"


	25. No Matter What, I'll Be Your Mother

_Author's Note: Any final guesses on Emma's father? This is the last chapter to submit your guesses!_

Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Goodall were in the command center when the Rangers teleported back. The Rangers were surprised to see them there, but no one was more surprised than Emma. Her mother knew of Gia's identity, there was no denying that, but she hadn't see the faces of the other Rangers. Emma didn't know how she could have found her way to the command center.

"Mom?"

"I told her," Mrs. Moran turned around and smiled at the Rangers, but it slipped off her face once she saw Gia. She ran to take and took her daughter from his arms. She hugged her, very tight.

"Ow… ow, mom… stop…" Gia groaned and tried to pull away. Mrs. Moran loosened her grip around her daughter while Tensou brought out a bed from the other room. Mrs. Moran helped Gia take a seat.

"What happened out there?"

"You don't want to know," Gia shook her head.

While Mrs. Moran, Tensou, and the other Rangers looked over to Gia to be sure there would be no long term effects from Vrak's shock collar, Emma walked over to her mother. Mrs. Goodall smiled sadly as she noted the fresh bruises and cuts on her daughter.

"So it is true. You are a Power Ranger?"

"Mom, I know you saw Gia, but... why are you here? More importantly…"

Emma jumped into her mother's arms and hugged her tight. Mrs. Goodall wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed the top of her head.

"Vanessa told me about how I was frozen. I guess you were worried."

"You're my mom. Of course I worried," Emma nodded and pulled away to look up at her mother. "Did Tensou look you over too? Spells wear off once the monster is defeated but…"

"I'm fine, Emma. It's like nothing happened. But there is something we need to talk about. Vanessa says you know about… your father."

"The fact that he's not?" Emma sighed. "Mom…"

"Sweetheart, I had no idea," Mrs. Goodall gently grabbed her daughter's arms and tried her best to show Emma she was being honest. "Yes, your father and I have been unfaithful for a long time. Yes, that started before you were born, but I swear, sweetheart, when we were trying to have you, I swore off all other men. You were supposed to be your father's. I don't know what happened."

"So… do you remember who he is now?" Emma asked. "I know you guys didn't say something right away. That had to give you time to think…"

"I don't know. Just before you came back I remembered a bar. I was out one night… drinking…," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "I'm trying. My memories are failing me. But Vanessa seems to think the little robot can get some answers for us."

"Tensou?"

"He says he can do it too, but it'll take a long time. Then he said a bunch of science mumbo jumbo and, to be honest, I just kind of tuned him out. I don't really care how it's done, I just want you to have answers," Mrs. Goodall reached her hand out and gently stroked Emma's cheek, "but no matter what the results say, no matter who your father is, no matter what happened to me, that doesn't change us. At least, it doesn't change the way I feel about you. I know I don't deserve it, Emma but… I don't want to lose you. I don't want this to tear us apart."

"Me neither," Emma shook her head and hugged her mother again. Mrs. Goodall held her daughter lovingly and kissed the top of her head. Suddenly, Emma pulled away from her arms and shrieked.

"Tensou!"

"What?" Tensou stopped moving and turned to her, revealing to everyone the saw he had in his hands. "The collar still hasn't come off."

"Tensou!" Mrs. Moran screamed when she saw the saw, "I meant any means necessary that wouldn't take my daughter's head off!"

"I'll be careful," Tensou assured everyone and started to roll back to the bed. Jake took the saw from his hands.

"Other methods first, please."

"If there were other methods available, do you think I'd be trying to use a saw?" Tensou asked and tried to jump to reach for the tool in Jake's hands. Jake just held the saw up high.

Mrs. Goodall seemed to be in shock as she watched the Rangers start a game of keep-the-saw-away-from-the-robot. Emma looked up at her mother and chuckled as she hugged her again.

"You get used to it."

"No, you don't," Mrs. Moran shook her head and when she caught the saw she glared at Tensou, "No sharp objects near my daughter's neck."

"But Vanessa, I…"

"Just go back to looking for Emma's father. We'll see if we can find a way to take the collar off," Mrs. Moran said. Tensou let out a sigh and rolled back over to the console to resume his search.

Gia winced as Noah tried to slip his fingers between the collar and her neck, "Ow! Cut your nails!"

"Sorry, but there's got to be a latch or something."

"Well it's not there," Gia pushed his hand away. "Okay, first thing's first. Can Vrak still shock me with this thing? He tried once in Ultra Mode and I didn't feel anything."

"The suit's energy could have blocked the signal," Noah told her. He tried to reach for the collar again but she slapped his hand away, "Ow! I'm trying to help."

"Cut your nails first."

"They are."

"Then have them removed," Gia slapped his hand again when he tried again to touch the collar. Noah looked to her with a frown and then stepped back.

"Fine, I guess I won't analyze the collar, and you'll find out the hard way if Vrak can shock you or not."

"Just don't scratch me again, Carver," Gia muttered and finally let him reach for the collar.


	26. Emma's Father

Gia rolled her eyes as Noah rubbed his. It was getting late, but the Rangers, Mrs. Moran, and Mrs. Goodall were still in the command center. There were two reasons no one wanted to leave. The Rangers had just gotten a power upgrade from a new source. However, obtaining that power had been no easy feat. Vrak had tried to control Gia so he could be the master of the Wild Sword, and he felt the only way to control her was through the shock collar still attached to her neck. Anytime she showed signs of disobeying him, or did disobey him, he would shock her. The collar still attached to her neck hadn't shocked her since they sent Vrak running in their last battle, but no one wanted to take the chance that Vrak could still hurt her. Noah was trying his best to find a way, without using Tensou's saw-it-off idea, to get the collar to come off.

"Maybe we should take a break," Gia suggested because she could see Noah was getting tired. He had his computer hooked up to her collar and was trying to see if he could override whatever program Vrak had set up in the collar but he couldn't understand any of it. He didn't want to try too much. He had already shocked Gia mildly a few times by taking some risks. He also didn't want to leave the collar on. "Vrak can do what he wants. I'm not listening to him anyways."

"Vrak can't do what he wants," Mrs. Moran said as she hugged her daughter. "Noah, you're going to work until your eyes and hands fall off or that collar comes off. Whichever is first."

"I'm doing my best," Noah promised. Jake brought him over a bottle of water. "Vrak's got everything programmed in an alien language. First I need to figure out what everything means. Then I'll have to override the program."

Over in another corner of the room, Emma sat with her mother near the console where Tensou was working. After his idea to saw off the collar – and possibly Gia's neck – had been vetoed, he resumed his work on finding Emma's biological father. It wasn't an easy feat as he only had half of her father's genetics to work with and millions of candidates – both dead and alive, but he was sure that with his advanced technology he could get the job done. This was another reason the Rangers were staying at the command center. Now that they were all aware of Emma's family mystery, they wanted to be there to show their support when she finally got the news who her father was.

"So, I'm starting off easy," Tensou said. "You humans collect thousands of DNA samples every day for studies, crimes, and investigations. That means I already have a sample to work with that I can compare to Emma's DNA. I'm tapping into local prison, hospital, and lab records and collecting as much data as I can."

"Tensou, please," Mrs. Goodall shook her head, "Just get it done. We don't care about the details, we want results."

"Just trying to make conversation," Tensou muttered as he turned back to the console, "Tough crowd."

As they waited for news, Emma leaned into her mother's arms and sighed, "I have a question."

"Anything."

"How do you not know? Maybe it's just me, but I think I'd at least remember the name of every guy I slept with. You don't have that?"

"I think it was just a one night stand," Mrs. Goodall shrugged. "I was trying for a baby with your father for months before that, and we kept trying right up until we found out we were expecting you. Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry."

Mrs. Goodall lovingly squeezed her daughter, "You deserve so much better than all I've put you through. If I could, I'd do it all over again."

"I know," Emma sighed and then wrapped her arms around her mother, "You're here now."

"And I guess I haven't been making things any easier for you," Mrs. Goodall looked around the command center, "A Power Ranger? All this time, you were the pink Ranger?"

"Yeah… I still can't believe it myself," Emma said and smiled as she looked around. "It's pretty cool."

"Pretty cool? Emma, it's… terrifying!"

"Of course you'd think that," Emma rolled her eyes and then started to chuckle, "Although, I guess… yeah, it is."

"So… when your father and I… I mean, when Jeff and I tried to get you to move to New York…"

"Mom, that wasn't going to happen even if I wasn't a Ranger," Emma looked up at her mother and cocked and eyebrow. "Don't you remember what happened to Gia at that time?"

"I… Oh, that ex-boyfriend…"

"Yeah, I wasn't leaving her. I couldn't leave," Emma shook her head. "The Morans raised me. I didn't want to be without them. Especially in New York. The Ranger thing was a problem, though. But I guess it worked out for the best. I got everything I wanted…"

"Except parents who cared enough to stick around…"

"You came back."

"That must not have helped. You already have so many responsibilities and then suddenly your estranged mother comes back wanting to be in your life? I guess I really didn't know what I was jumping into. I guess I never really thought…"

"You weren't supposed to know I was a Ranger. You couldn't have. Mom, it's okay," Emma took her mother's hand and looked up at her with a smile, "Sometimes being a Ranger is a lot of work. Sometimes it's pretty dangerous. But… I've made a lot of really good friends out of it. They've helped me through it. In fact, without them, I probably would have been worse off. I'm okay, mom. It's okay…"

"I just… No mother wants to see their daughter in danger," Mrs. Goodall said and then gestured to Mrs. Moran, who was yelling at Noah because Gia had received another minor shock. "I… I feel like I have it worse, though, and not because I'm trying to get some sympathy. I just got you back, Emma. I just realized how much of a blessing you are to my life. I've missed out on seventeen years already, I want all the time we have left to make up for it. If anything happens to you… I've got nothing to look back on. It's my own fault. I made my mistakes. I just… I can't bear losing you, Emma. I can't bear not knowing what could be. Please, stay safe. Please, be smart."

"Don't worry, mom. I don't have a death wish."

"I love you, sweetheart," Mrs. Goodall hugged her daughter close to her chest. "I might not be the perfect mother, or even anything close to it, but…"

"I love you too, mom."

"Aha! Results! Well, that was easy. It seems as though there's a matching sample for your father," Tensou said as he printed out a sheet of paper from his body and passed it over to Emma and Mrs. Goodall.

Gia got up from her bed, pulled away the wires from her collar and walked up to Emma and Mrs. Goodall. Emma looked up at her, nodded her head, and made a little room on the floor so Gia could sit.

"Nothing changes," Gia assured Emma. "No matter what that name is, no matter what he's done, no matter if he wants a daughter or not, nothing changes between any of us."

"I hope he does," Emma muttered. She started to read over the results but then turned away and passed the paper to her mother, "Here. You do it."

"Emma…"

"I don't want to read the name. I might not know him anyways."

Mrs. Goodall nodded her head and mumbled through the first part of Tensou's results until she reached the line that revealed the name of Emma's father. She read it out loud and clearly so everyone could hear it.

"James Morris. James Clifford Morris is the name of your father."

"Whoa, wait… say that again," Gia grabbed the paper from Mrs. Goodall and needed to read it for herself. Emma glanced over it quickly, saw the name, and then jumped up from the ground in tears. Gia saw her jump and tried to grab her.

"Emma, wait!" she dropped the papers as Emma started to run and chased her best friend outside.

Mrs. Goodall picked up the papers and read it over again, "I… Well, obviously I've met a James Morris," she said. "But… I have no idea who he is."

"Let's just say, the man who tried to shoot Gia to get back at his best friend is a better choice for a father than James Morris," Mrs. Moran muttered and Mrs. Goodall noticed her fists were clenched tightly.

"Should I go talk to her?" she asked. Mrs. Moran shook her head.

"The girls need to figure this out first."

"And while they do that," Jake said. "You remember those punks that kidnapped Emma? The football team?"

"Yeah… Wait… James Morris was… You mean the dead dude? You mean the father of…"

"Yep," Jake nodded his head.

"Dun, dun, dun…" Tensou said and then looked around nervously when the Rangers and mothers glared at him. "Sorry…"

_Author's Note: Well, that's the end of the contest and we have some winners. Congratulations to: __cupcakes4561, jg13145 for winning the deleted scene and to yellowinx65 for winning the bonus scene! I'll PM the scenes once I know you've read this chapter to avoid spoilers._

_To everyone else, thank you for taking part. I saw a lot of interesting guesses. Some of which I had taken into consideration when writing this out and others that I hadn't thought about but were still good ideas._

_Thanks for all your support! I really appreciate it! I hope you all enjoyed!_


	27. Who You Are Matters

When Gia stepped out of the command center she found Emma a little ways off, sitting on the rocks overlooking the sea. She stepped out carefully so as not to slip and fall as she made her way out.

"I'd feel better if you were on solid ground," Gia said as she took the spot next to Emma. The pink Ranger shrugged her shoulders and sniffed.

"I… I didn't see this coming," she whispered. "I… I mean… Gia, I'm…"

"I meant it," Gia interrupted. "I don't care who your father is."

"It's Cliff's dad. Cliff's dad, Gia! Don't you remember what he did?"

"Mr. Morris? Or Cliff? Either way, I remember both, and I remember against both guys you were on my side."

"I guess I kind of got my hopes up," Emma muttered. "I don't like that the man who… well, dad isn't my dad, but he's never been there for me, and he had no excuse," Emma looked down at the water and paused for a moment, just to take in a couple of breathes so she could keep calm. "At least this way my father would have a good excuse. He wouldn't have known. I guess, I kind of got it in my head that I'd get his name, track him down, tell him I was his daughter and…"

"He'd want to make up for lost time?" Gia asked. Emma nodded her head and sighed sadly.

"I guess it was too much to hope for. Turns out, no matter who he is, my dad's a total douche who wants to kill my best friend."

"He was going to kill you first," Gia said and then wrapped her arms around Emma. "You deserve better. I'm sorry, Emma."

"The worst part… well, not the worst part, but… he's dead," Emma looked up at Gia. "I… I don't have a dad. Not that I'd ever expect to have a relationship with Mr. Morris or Cliff, but… I don't even have that choice."

"How's that not the worst part? That's pretty crummy already. I mean, I don't think I'd ever let you go near him or Cliff, but… You should at least be able to decide what you want to do."

"The worst part is… I learned how Mr. Morris treated women. I know how Cliff treated you. I know how he treated the women he cheated on you with."

"I… he… yeah… I guess I always knew that," Gia shrugged her shoulders and it was her turn to look out at the water. "I guess you're lucky your mother never assumed he could be your father. You got away from that…"

"That's not even it," Emma shook her head. "Mom had no idea I could be anyone else's. She never even remembered sleeping with another guy. That doesn't just happen, Gia. Mom may have been flaky and uncommitted up until recently, but she really wanted to have a baby with dad… of Jeff, or whatever I'm supposed to call him now. I don't think… Mom used to be very selfish. She would go after what she wanted. I don't think… I don't think she would really screw up her chances like that."

"Are you saying…?"

"Cliff took after his dad. I saw it firsthand. Mr. Morris was… a bigger, meaner version of Cliff."

"Yeah… I guess I kind of knew that too," Gia muttered. "Cliff would always talk about his dad. He really looked up to him."

"Gia?"

"Yeah?"

"Did Cliff ever… I mean, I know he did, but the times you said no… did he always force it, or did he have subtle ways?"

"You mean drugs?" Gia asked. "Did he ever drug me and sleep with me?"

Emma nodded her head nervously and started to shed some tears. Gia looked down at her hands, unsure of what to say. She knew there was an answer Emma wanted to hear, but there was also the truth. Unfortunately, they didn't match up.

"He'd make me use drugs," Gia answered. "Anything he could get his hands on that would… he said calm me down. Sometimes he'd make me use the drugs myself because he liked seeing me get high. Sometimes, when he didn't want to bother with me putting up a fight, he'd just… slip it into a drink and make me drink it. Or slip it into my food."

Gia wrapped her arms around Emma, "I'm sorry, Emma. You shouldn't… you…"

"Do you think that's a trick he picked up from his dad?"

Gia shrugged her shoulders and then sighed, "Probably."

"Do you think that's what he did to mom? That would explain why she wouldn't remember…"

"She would have known," Gia said and her voice was soft. "I… I mean, I woke up confused some mornings. I… I wouldn't remember what happened the night before but… but I knew."

"But… Cliff did it more than once. If it just happened once and mom… put it in the back of her mind… wouldn't… couldn't…"

"Maybe…" Gia whispered so softly Emma barely heard. She turned to Gia to ask her to repeat what she said but saw her best friend had tears in her eyes.

"Gia! I… I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…"

"No," Gia shook her head and then stood up. She took Emma's hand and pulled her to her feet, "No, you know what, it's okay."

"Gia, I didn't mean to make you think about it… I just…"

"I don't care where you come from. You shouldn't either. Don't think about this. Don't worry about how it happened. If your mother needs help, we'll get it for her, but if she's okay… you need to be okay too."

"Gia…"

"Emma, I'm serious. You're not Mr. Morris, or Cliff, or your father, or… or any of that crap. You're not a burden, you're not a mistake, or a crime, or never should have happened. You're Emma. You love BMX. You love nature. You're an amazing photographer. You've got big dreams and the strength to see them through. You're Mrs. Goodall's pride and joy, and my mother's second daughter. You're the most amazing girlfriend Jordan, or any other guy could ever ask for, and you're also my very, very best friend. Maybe Cliff put me through hell, and maybe he's your brother. Maybe Mr. Morris hurt your mother, and maybe he's your father, but you're not like that, Emma. You're not like either of them. You're good. You're the best of us, and you're not going to believe anything else for a second. You understand me?"

"I…"

"You understand?"

Emma smiled and jumped into Gia's arms, "Yeah, I understand."

"Good. Now, let's go back inside," Gia said and pointed to the command center. Emma nodded and kept her arm wrapped around Gia as they walked in together. As soon as they were in the main room Mrs. Goodall jumped up and took both the girls in her arms.

"I'm so…"

"Sorry, yeah, I know," Gia said and squeezed her way out of the hug. "We don't get to choose family."

"Not that Mr. Morris will ever be family," Emma smiled and looked up at her mother, "Um, you know who Mr. Morris is, right?"

"My memory needed to be refreshed, but yes," Mrs. Goodall lovingly squeezed Emma and looked over to Gia, "For what it's worth…"

"Hey, that happened before Cliff even discovered he could ruin the lives of women everywhere," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "No harm done. At least, none on my end."

"I'm really glad this worked out," Mrs. Moran smiled. "The girls are happy, and even though it's not what she was looking for, Emma got the answers she wanted… this is really great…"

"Mom, you sound like you're going to turn…"

"Now, can someone please get this evil alien shock collar off my daughter's neck?" Mrs. Moran turned around to Gosei, "You, Mona Lisa, you've created a robot that can track down Emma's birth father, but you can't get a stupid piece of jewellery off my daughter."

Emma groaned and looked up at her mother, "By the way, you might not be coming here often."

"I get it. Ranger business is serious business. For my sanity, and for all of our protection, I need to keep away from it."

"Well, yeah," Emma nodded her head. "Also, Mrs. Moran is technically banned."

"Well, I don't care if you can't decipher Vrak's technology!"Mrs. Moran continued to shout. "You're the know it all mentor! Can't you find a way? And fast!"

Mrs. Goodall bit her lip as she watched her best friend shout at the figure on the wall and then looked back at Emma, "Yeah, I'm not surprised. She's got this protective instinct."

"Hey! No, don't teleport me home! I need to…"

Mrs. Moran was cut off when she disappeared and Gosei groaned.

"If it's possible, I think she gave me a headache. Tensou…"

"The saw is a perfectly…"

"No saws near Gia's neck!" Mrs. Goodall shouted at the little robot. Then she winced and turned to Emma, "Uh… I might be protective too."

Suddenly she disappeared. The Rangers all turned to Gosei for an explanation. He just let out another sigh, "New rule. No parents in the command center. At all!"

"Funny, we have a rule about no giant tikis in the home," Gia chuckled and turned to Emma who was laughing as well."

"Mrs. Moran accepts morphers, though," Emma explained. "Even if they're in Gosei's likeness. She just doesn't want to see them."

"Can we work on getting that collar off, though?" Jake asked. "The longer we take, the more I start to worry Vrak's going to find a way to shock you again."

"I'll try anything," Gia nodded and sat down on the bed again. She saw Tensou perk up, "But not that saw!"


	28. Emma's Guilt

It was the late hours of the morning when the front door finally opened and the girls were home. Mrs. Moran had fallen asleep on the couch waiting up, while Mrs. Goodall had gone to bed and was back up again to make a late breakfast. Both heard the door opening and everyone gathered in the kitchen. Mrs. Moran's heart dropped when she saw the collar was still around her daughter's neck.

"We tried everything," Gia said and tugged at the device.

"Tensou even got to try and saw it off," Emma muttered and rubbed her eyes. She had been up all night and wanted to go back to bed, but felt there was still a lot that needed to be discussed. She had just found out who her biological father was and her mother had just found out she was a Ranger. It was going to be a long day of them trying to put the pieces of their very confusing and secretive lives together.

Hearing a saw had been near her daughter's neck, Mrs. Moran's eyes widened. Gia shook her head.

"The collar didn't even scratch. There was no danger of my head coming off. Don't worry, mom. I'm fine. I'm also ready for bed."

"Here," Mrs. Goodall offered her a plate, "Take it up to your room."

"Thanks," Gia smiled. She started to nibble on the toast as she climbed the stairs. Mrs. Moran bit her lip nervously as she watched. So far it didn't seem Vrak could activate the collar but Mrs. Moran didn't like that it was around her daughter's neck. She didn't like that there was potential for Vrak to figure out a way to use it again. She didn't like how it reminder her than an evil alien was after her daughter. She didn't like that it meant that there was someone out there, again, who thought they could do whatever they wanted to Gia, and Mrs. Moran was helpless to show them otherwise. She couldn't face Vrak. She couldn't intimidate him. She couldn't threaten him to stay away from Gia. She couldn't even take her daughter's place. Vrak didn't want her. Vrak would kill her if she tried to confront him, and then there would really be nothing she could do to keep him getting to her daughter.

She wanted the collar off. She wanted her daughter safe.

As Mrs. Moran began to pace around the kitchen to control her nerves, Emma and Mrs. Goodall sat at the kitchen table. Emma played around with the fruit on the plate, too tired to bring it up to her mouth to start eating it. Mrs. Goodall watched her daughter with a weak smile and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Do you want to go to bed too? We've already called the school to say you aren't coming in. You've got a day off."

"Mr. Morris…"

"Emma, don't worry about that," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "All I care about from that night is the good that came from it. I don't care how it happened. I don't care why I could never remember it happening. I won't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"I'm not a… oh, expression," Emma yawned. Her mother chuckled.

"You're really tired, Emma. Go to bed."

"But… Ranger…"

"I get it, Emma, and what I don't get; I'll figure it out as I go. It terrifies me, but I'm really proud of you. Gosei picked the right person for the pink Ranger. I wish he had picked someone else, but I see why he wanted you."

Emma nodded her head and started to slump at the table. Mrs. Goodall could tell she was just about to pass out so she helped her daughter up from the table and walked her to her room. She tucked her into bed, though Emma was out before her head hit the pillow. When Mrs. Goodall came back to the kitchen she saw the worried expression on her best friend's face as well as the tears that were beginning to fall from her eyes. She came over and hugged Mrs. Moran.

"The collar…?"

"I'm so scared. I can't let him hurt her, Claire."

"The alien guy? Vrak? He's not going to hurt her. We'll find a way to get that collar off."

"I want it off now!" Mrs. Moran shouted and stomped her foot. Mrs. Goodall hushed her and looked up the stairs.

"The girls are asleep. Shh…"

"You don't get it, Claire. I want that collar off! I don't want Vrak controlling her! I don't want… I don't want to lose her too."

"You're not going to lose her. I promise…"

"He's already taken Joe from me," Mrs. Moran whispered. "He wants my baby…"

"Vanessa, he's… Joe? What does Joe…?"

"Joe wasn't sick," Mrs. Moran whispered and hugged herself as she tried not to cry. "Vrak was using clones of the Rangers to… to try and destroy them."

"But you told me…"

"No one knows about the Rangers. No one could know how Joe really died. The clones… I don't know how they did it, but they… they took Gia. They swapped her out with her clone. We didn't even know it happened until after… after we found Joe dead. Gia's clone killed him. The clone Vrak created. He's outsmarted us once. He's taken my husband and her father! Now he wants her! Claire, I'm not losing her! I can't lose her, but I can't… I can't stop it!"

"Vanessa… I'm… I'm so sorry…" Mrs. Goodall held her best friend. "He won't get her. I don't know what we can do, but we're not going to let it happen."

"I hate that collar! I hate it!" Mrs. Moran screamed as she sobbed into Mrs. Goodall's shoulder. "She's my baby. Not his! He can't hurt her!"

-Megaforce-

Emma was desperate to get some sleep, but just as her head hit the pillow her cell phone rang. She groaned as she reached for it and saw it was a text from Jordan. She knew she had to answer it or he would start to worry. She opened up the message.

"_I hate my math teacher. Hope your day is going better."_

She smiled a little bit. Since he had moved away they kept in touch all the time. She didn't like being so far away from him but at least they still had ways to keep in touch.

"_Just got back from the command center. It's been a long night."_

"_Everything okay?"_

"_Can I tell you about it later? Really tired."_

"_Yeah, sure. I love you."_

"_I love you too," _Emma replied and then put her phone under her pillow. She tried to close her eyes to sleep again but Jordan had asked the question that got her thoughts racing.

In the command center, not only had they managed to get Gia back from Vrak, and tried and failed to remove the collar around her neck, but they also discussed her biological father. Emma had been taken completely by surprise when she found out her real father was Mr. Morris, Cliff's father.

To say she hated Cliff was really an understatement. She wasn't normally one who liked to see people suffer and die, but when she heard that Vrak had killed Cliff a little part of her celebrated. She didn't need to worry about him anymore. She didn't need to worry about him coming back and hurting Gia. He was a bad person. Sometimes she thought he was worse than Vrak.

Now she was related to him. He was her half-brother. She was his half-sister. They shared genetics. They shared the same blood. He was her family, and she always wanted her family, but she didn't want him.

Not only that, but Mr. Morris wasn't a nice guy either. Emma knew what his life was like behind closed doors. Cliff had taken after his father. Mr. Morris was an abusive, lying, manipulative man. He beat his wife, and based on how Cliff grew up he did so in front of his son. He had no respect for women and no remorse for any of his actions. Hell, where Cliff kept his vile behaviour restricted to his girlfriends, Mr. Morris wanted to spread his anger around. After finding out his son was dead, he put together a plan to avenge his son's death by hurting and killing those responsible. He had Cliff's former football team find and beat Jake just because he was Gia's boyfriend. In fact, he had paid the boys to kill him. The only reason Jake survived, and barely, was because Troy and Rebecca had come to his rescue.

To add to his evil streak, Mr. Morris had kidnapped her. He hired the football team to break into her home and take her. Then he beat her. Emma still had some scars from that horrible night. She still had some nightmares about what happened.

His goal had been to get to Gia. To hurt Gia first by killing her friends, and then to kill her.

He was mean. He was careless. Emma wanted nothing to do with him and yet she was his daughter, his flesh and blood. Her eyes started to water as she thought about what that meant. Through her, he lived on. Through her, Cliff was still around and closer than ever to Gia.

But more than that, Emma knew what men like Mr. Morris and Cliff were like. She had to know. It was the only thing she could do to protect Gia at the time. She knew these men liked getting what they wanted. They liked feeling like they were in control, and would go to any lengths to be sure that happened. Cliff took advantage of Gia. No was never an option for her. Mr. Morris had to have done the same with her mother.

Emma trusted what her mother said. She trusted her mother couldn't remember what happened. She trusted that right up until the results were read; she had no idea who the father could be. Emma remembered the day Gia came back to her. It was the day Cliff left for college. Gia hadn't been in the best state. Her body was covered in fresh bruises and scars and she seemed out of it. She stumbled and limped as Emma took her inside. Emma knew what happened, but it had taken Gia some time to put all the pieces together and she had only been able to do so with Emma's help.

Emma had to wonder what happened the night she was conceived and she feared she knew. Mr. Morris wasn't a good man. Mr. Morris wasn't a man who would let a woman tell him what to do. He wasn't a man who would listen to the word no. Emma trusted her mother wanted to have a child with her husband. She trusted her mother would have refused to sleep with anyone at the time. She trusted her mother was being completely honest with her. So that left only one option.

Emma threw the blankets away and crawled out of bed. She was tired. Her body protested her getting up and walking around, but with her mind racing and these thoughts in her head she knew she couldn't get any sleep.

"Mom?" she whispered when she reached the bottom of the stairs. She peeked into the living room. Her mother and Mrs. Moran were sitting on the couch. Mrs. Moran seemed upset. Emma wanted to turn around and let her mother help Mrs. Moran but she heard her name being called.

"Emma, what's wrong? You should be in bed."

"I… I know why… I know why you don't remember," Emma tried to keep her sobs under control but it was getting harder. "Mr. Morris… he… he…"

"A man took me home from the bar," Mrs. Goodall shared with her daughter what she knew of that fateful night. "I don't remember what happened after that, I just know he's the only man who could have possibly slept with me in the time you would have been conceived with the exception of your fath… Jeff."

"I'm sorry, mom…"

"Don't be," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "It wasn't your fault. Emma, you have nothing to apologize for."

"But I'm… that happened and…"

"Emma, it's okay," Mrs. Goodall took her daughter in her arms and kissed the top of her head softly. "It's one night, I barely remember it happening, or even what happened, and it gave me you. Something good came out of that night, and that's all I want to know about it. I'm sorry it happened. I'm sorry this had to happen to you."

"To me? Mom, he didn't… he hurt you!"

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," Mrs. Goodall assured her daughter. "Don't worry about me. Don't worry about what happened. We're both better than that."

"Mom…"

"I love you."

Emma sighed. She looked up at her mother and nodded her head, "I love you too."

"Good. Now off to bed. I'll wake you in a couple of hours. We'll go pick up something special for dinner. I think the four of us should stick together."

"Okay," Emma started to climb the stairs and glanced over her shoulder quickly to check up on her mother. When she saw she was smiling, Emma hurried up to her room, ready for bed.

But before she could climb back into bed another thought crossed her mind. She had already talked to Gia about her father but it didn't feel like enough. She left her room and knocked on Gia's door. There was no answer. She opened the door just a crack and peeked inside. Gia was fast asleep in her bed, sprawled out on top of the blankets as though she didn't have time to pull them down and climb in bed. Emma could understand. She was just as tired. She walked over to the bed and touched Gia's shoulder. Her best friend started to stir.

"I'm tired. Let me sleep."

"Gia…"

"Collar's not bugging me. Don't worry about it," Gia whispered and put her face against the bed. Emma sat down beside her.

"Gia, I'm just… I'm sorry."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"I'm sorry about Cliff, and… what my DNA test means. I… I just want you to know that… I don't care if Mr. Morris is my dad or if Cliff is my brother. I… I don't want to be like them. I'm not going to hurt you or… or anything. You're still my best friend."

"Got that off your chest?" Gia turned her head and opened her eyes. She looked up at Emma. The pink Ranger shook her head.

"I'm not trying to get it off my chest. I really just want you to know that I… I'm sorry. I want nothing to do with my family if that's who they are."

"They aren't your family," Gia pushed herself up into a seated position.

"But the DNA…"

"I don't care about DNA. I'm your family. My mom is your family. My dad is your family. We're family. Not those good for nothing bastards."

"Gia…"

"Emma."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too," Gia nodded and then she grabbed the ends of her blanket and pulled it down. She crawled into bed and laid her head against the pillow. "If you promise to shut up, you can sleep in here."

"Gia…"

"Emma, I'm tired!"

"But…"

"Go to sleep!"

"Gia, I just…" Emma gasped when she was smacked across the face with a pillow. She looked down and saw Gia was now using the pillow to cover her own head.

"Seriously, I'm tired!"

"Gia…"

"One more word and I'll suffocate you with this pillow," Gia muttered. Emma wanted to say something, and then hesitated. She leaned into the bed and looked up at the ceiling. Then she smirked.

"You're my family, Gia."

"That's it. Prepare to die," Gia took her pillow and placed it over Emma's face. She held it there for only a couple of seconds before pulling away. She used the pillow to hit Emma on the chest and then fell back into the bed and rolled away from her best friend. Emma chuckled.

"Goodnight, Gia."

Gia closed her eyes and muttered, "And everyone things _I_ have a death wish."


	29. Back To Class

The following day, Jake walked into school and was greeted by several dirty looks from the other students. At first he thought there as something on his face and tried to wipe it off with his sleeve. Then he got to his locker and saw all the notes that had been left on the door for him. Some were mean and rude, but harmless, and others were unmistakably threats. All of them were related to the championship game he had run away from. Apparently, he was being blamed for the team's loss.

He cleared away all the notes and opened his locker. A deflated soccer ball with a badly drawn picture of his face fell out. He groaned as he kicked it away and focused on getting his books for class.

"Way to go, loser!" someone shouted and he was shoved against the lockers. "Because of you, we lost the game."

"Something important came up," Jake answered but the person who shoved him was already gone. He figured they didn't want to hear his excuses. To them it didn't matter. Jake was supposed to be the star of the team. He was supposed to be the man who would lead the Harwood Tornadoes to victory. His teammates, the team's fans, and the fans he had gained throughout the season had all been counting on him. If he was fair, he had disappointed all of them. He had made a commitment and he blew them all off. He would have hated himself too if he were them.

"You ever show your face on a soccer field again and I'll rip your legs off."

"Look, I'm sorry, I just… Ms. Chesterfield?" Jake frowned when he saw the voice belonged to his vice-principal. "Hey, that's not very nice."

Ms. Chesterfield showed him she had been reading off one of the notes from his locker, "Who wrote this?"

"I don't know," Jake shrugged. "Look, they have every right to be angry. I blew it at that game."

"This is taking things a little far, don't you think?"

"Ms. Chesterfield, over the last couple of days I defeated a shadow-stealing monster, Vrak, and rescued Gia from a lifetime of being his pet. Some high school kid threatening to rip my legs off really doesn't scare me. I'm the one who can summon an axe."

"Yes, but Jake, this behaviour…"

"I'm fine, Ms. Chesterfield."

"Well, I'm keeping this note. If I find out who's leaving these they're going to be in for a world of trouble."

Jake shrugged his shoulders and grabbed his books. For once he was eager to get to class. He closed his locker and hurried down the hall to his room.

Around the corner, Troy was helping Rebecca with her books. Her ankle was feeling better from the sprain she had suffered the day her suspicions about the Rangers' identities were confirmed, but she was still better off letting it recover. She didn't mind. She was new to the school and still having a little trouble finding all her classes. With Troy promising to help her between classes, she didn't have to worry about getting lost.

"Can I at least look at the card for Ultra Mode?" she begged him as he put her books in her bag. Since Troy had explained to her why he had been out of the house so much in the last few days, she had been bugging him to see the Ultra Mode. Just as he had guessed, she was very jealous. While she knew how important it was to stay out of Ranger business she did like sticking her nose in wherever she could. She wanted to get a peek at the Ultra Mode. She wanted to see it in action. She had already asked if he could take her up to where the Rangers trained so she could see it, but Troy said no.

"Are you meeting with Ms. Chesterfield today for that project with Gia?"

"You're dodging the question, and yes. By the way, you need to tell Gia that. She hasn't been at school either."

Troy nodded his head and made a note to remember when he saw Gia.

"Can I see the Power Card?"

"No. You'll have to wait to see it on the news like everyone else."

"Aw, fine. Then you won't be allowed to read the script."

"What script?"

"The project," Rebecca said. "Ms. Chesterfield gave the pictures and the stories to the drama club and they have a first draft of the script for their play ready. Gia and I need to read it over to make sure everything about it is right, believable, but not too personal. You're just going to have to wait to see it like everyone else."

"Fine by me," Troy shrugged his shoulders and helped Rebecca get her bag on. Rebecca frowned.

"You're supposed to be jealous or something."

"Will it make you feel better?"

"Seeing the Power Card would make me feel better, but I guess it'll be close enough."

"Aw, man. Now I'm going to have to beg Gia for her copy," Troy whined for Rebecca's sake. She frowned again.

"Hey, no. I'm telling Gia not to let you read anything."

"Ready for class?" Troy chuckled. Rebecca rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Whatever, stupid head."

"Name calling isn't nice."

"Sorry, poop face."

Troy chuckled again and walked with his sister to make sure she got to class on time. On their way, they walked by Gia's and Emma's lockers both girls were there so Rebecca passed her message along to Gia.

"Ms. Chesterfield wants to see us at lunch. Drama kids have their script and Troy's not allowed to read it no matter how much he begs you."

"Thanks, Rebecca," Gia said and then let her go off. Emma looked over and chuckled.

"What was that about?"

"I don't know, but apparently I have to meet Ms. Chesterfield at lunch."

"You know, if you don't want to be here, you don't have to. I think having a shock collar around your neck from an evil alien is a good reason to stay home."

"Just don't draw attention to it," Gia whispered. The bell rang and students started to make their way to class. Gia stood by her locker, hiding as much as possible. "You know the comments people make when they see it."

"That one kid was seriously weird," Emma muttered. She leaned against the lockers and waited for the hallways to be mostly cleared before gently nudging Gia, "We're safe to go now."

Gia nodded her head, grabbed her bag from her locker, and followed Emma down to their classroom. When they were inside they closed the door. Gia took a seat at her desk and then noticed Dr. Oliver staring at her neck.

"What? Is this really the weirdest thing you've ever seen?"

"It's still on?" Noah asked her from his desk. "I was hoping maybe it would have unlocked itself by now."

"Nope."

"Interesting fashion choice, Gia," Dr. Oliver said as he walked over to inspect the collar, "You really need to tell me where you got it."

"Vrak's got a great eye for fashion, doesn't he?" Gia muttered. Dr. Oliver pulled on the collar which in turned pulled her neck. She frowned and pushed him away, "It doesn't come off."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I haven't felt a shock in the last day," Gia shook her head. "Either it's just broken and stuck, or Vrak's decided he's playing head games again. I'm trying to pretend it's not there. I really wish everyone else would do the same."

"Alright, but tell someone if it starts… acting up, I guess," Dr. Oliver said. He turned to walk back to his desk when he saw Emma with her cell phone. He cleared his throat, "You know the bell's rung, right?"

"Sorry," Emma whispered and tucked her phone in her pocket, "I told Jordan about my biological dad. He's got a thousand questions now."

"Questions that can be answered later," Dr. Oliver said. Emma nodded her head and pulled out her books. At that moment, Troy came into class. Dr. Oliver was about to say something but Troy cut him off.

"Walking my sister to class."

"Well, now that we're all here, what if we start our lesson? We've got a couple of days to catch up on. So, pull out your homework and… what?" Dr. Oliver asked when he heard a bunch of groaned and looked around the classroom to see the Rangers pulling out the blank worksheets he had given them a few days back. "Seriously? All that time and no one filled out…"

"I got my homework done," Noah said and showed off his completed worksheet. Jake grumbled.

"Nerd."

"Is finding out my father is an abusive dead guy a good enough excuse to not have my homework done?" Emma raised her hand and asked.

"I guess…"

"What about kidnapped by a maniac and nearly shocked to death?" Gia asked.

"Well, yeah, sure, but… you know what, just take a few minutes now to answer the questions and then we'll take it up together."

Dr. Oliver took a seat at his desk, "I've got to figure out what a good and bad excuse is for Ranger students not getting their homework done."


	30. In School Fight

When lunch rolled around, Emma let Gia go to Ms. Chesterfield's office while she found somewhere to sit in the cafeteria. She was sure the boys would be joining her shortly but for now she was sitting alone.

Though her mother and Gia seemed to have little issue with her biological father, Emma still had a hard time accepting who he was. She didn't like Mr. Morris. She didn't like what he had done with his life and she didn't like how he seemed to take pleasure from hurting people. She didn't like the way he raised his son to think it was okay to put his hands on another woman. While Jordan was reassuring her through text messages that her father had nothing to do with the person she was now, Emma couldn't help but feel guilty.

"It's not the end of the world you know," Noah said as he sat down across from her at the table. "We all have some crazy family members."

"How did you know I was thinking about that?"

"The way you were kind of shy, even with Gia, in class this morning," Noah shrugged his shoulders. "I also know that's pretty big news."

Emma sighed and leaned back in her seat. She put her phone away and looked up at Noah, "I'd rather have crazy family members. What Mr. Morris…"

"We don't pick who our family is," Noah said. "Some of us are lucky enough to land on our feet. Some aren't. Sorry, Emma. You're not."

"Is this you trying to make me feel better? Because this sucks."

"No one is going to blame you for what Mr. Morris did. No one's going to think you're a bad person just because you're related to him or Cliff. And if anyone does, they also probably think Gia did something to deserve Cliff's treatment. In other words, their opinion doesn't matter."

Emma let out a sigh, "I guess I'm just feeling guilty. If you found out your dad was actually a maniac…"

"I'd feel bad, but I wouldn't let that change me," Noah said. "At least, I hope I wouldn't. And I'd hope I'd have friends who would tell me what I'm telling you."

Noah smiled warmly to Emma, "You were crucial to getting Gia out of her relationship with Cliff and back on her feet again. You stood by her, you fought for her, hell, she's probably only alive today because you never gave up on her. The fact that your dad and brother were the ones responsible for the bad things that happened to her… no one cares about that, especially not Gia."

"She says that too," Emma said. "But… it's more than just that. I guess I just need some time to get used to everything and nothing changing because of this but… I think Mr. Morris… hurt my mom."

"Like, he raped her?"

"Mom's got a few memories now or a night she could have been unfaithful to dad… or Jeff, of whatever I have to call him now," Emma said, "But she still says she didn't want to cheat on him. She didn't want to sleep with anyone else. She wanted a child with him."

"What does your mom think about this now?"

"She says she's okay but… what if she's not? What if she hates me?"

"Does she?"

"She says she doesn't want to think about it. She says she doesn't care. She's just happy I was born."

"Do you believe her?"

"I want to."

"Well, does she treat you any different?"

"No."

"No petty comments? No little jabs?"

"No."

"Emma, it's going to take some time to wrap your head around this news, but I think you're okay. Gia's still your best friend and your mother still really loves you. It sucks this had to be the truth but you should count your blessings. You're pretty lucky."

"Biology aside, I guess I do have a really good family," Emma nodded her head. Suddenly, she and Noah both heard chanting from the hallway. They looked over and saw a crowd had formed just outside the cafeteria doors. Curiously, they jumped up to see what was going on. When they made it out to the hallway they saw some of the seniors were shoving a kid while the crowd cheered for them to fight.

Noah looked closer at the fight and saw Jake was the kid being picked on. He scratched his head for a minute but then started to push his way through the crowd to help. Emma followed him.

"Why aren't you running now?" one of the seniors taunted Jake. "You know what people want. You'd just love to disappoint them, wouldn't you?"

The senior shoved Jake into a locker. Jake dropped his lunch bag and glared at the kid.

"Leave me alone. It was just a game."

"It was _the_ game," the senior said. "You threw it on purpose, didn't you?"

"Hey, leave him alone," Noah said as he made it to the center of the crowd. He walked over to Jake and picked up his lunch, "C'mon, we saved you a spot in the cafeteria."

Jake nodded his head and started to follow Noah to the doors. The senior grabbed him.

"Hey, we're not done talking!"

"Leave me alone," Jake shrugged the senior's arm off his shoulder but the senior grabbed him again. Jake pulled away this time. The senior grabbed him again.

"C'mon," Noah said as he tried to interfere, "It's just a game. There will be more seasons. Beside, Harwood still won second place. Isn't that good?"

"We were favourites for first," the guy said. He pulled on Jake's arm, but this punk…"

"I'm sorry I blew off the game," Jake said and pushed the senior away. He pushed a little too aggressively so the senior fell back into the lockers.

Emma made it through the crowd and walked up to Jake.

"What's going on?"

"Die-hard Harwood Tornadoes fan," Jake muttered and shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, I should have expected this. It's fine."

"Jake, it's not fine," Emma shook her head. "Tell them there was a family emergency."

"My family was at the game," Jake answered and then he heard something coming up behind him. He turned around to see what it was and saw a fist coming for his head. He managed to duck just in time but the senior couldn't pull his punch. His fist continued forward and hit Emma in the eye. She fell back and the crowd gasped.

"Oh shit!" Jake said as he and Noah dropped to their knees to help Emma, "Are you okay?"

"What the hell is going on here?" a voice cried out and the crowd started to disperse. At first the senior thought it was because Ms. Chesterfield had caught them as he saw her looking very unhappily at the scene before her. Gia and Rebecca were by her side. But then Ms. Chesterfield spoke, and it wasn't the same voice from seconds before.

"Mr. Slater, my office, now!"

"I didn't mean to hit her," the senior pointed to Emma. "Look, Holling and I were just messing around..."

Noah couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. He looked up at the senior, "You're so new here, aren't you?"

"What…?"

"You're dead, Slater!" Gia shouted and suddenly came after him. He didn't know why exactly, but he started to run away.

Ms. Chesterfield pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled deeply, "Sometimes, I think I work in a circus."

Because of the way the halls were connected, the senior then Gia raced by again. Ms. Chesterfield called out.

"Gia, at least let him get into my office before you kill him!"

She shook her head as she watched them both disappear around the corner. Then she turned to the Rangers, "Jake, what happened?"

"He's disappointed about the game," Jake said. "Look it's no big deal…"

"Tell that to Emma's eye," Noah said as he moved Emma's hand away to get a good look at the damage done, "Looks painful."

Jake hissed when he saw, "Ow… sorry, Emma. I didn't think, I just ducked."

"It's fine," Emma said. She was helped to her feet by the boys and Ms. Chesterfield walked with the three of them to the nurse's office.

"This school is crazy," Rebecca muttered to herself and then saw the cafeteria doors opening. Troy came out with two trays in his hands, one was her lunch and the other belonged to him.

"Where is everyone?" he asked. "I thought Emma was holding seats for us? I just went to buy our lunch."

"Sports are stupid," Rebecca said. "Emma and the guys are in the nurses' office. Gia's… somewhere in the school probably committing murder."

Troy sighed loudly, "What did I miss?"

-Megaforce-

Elsewhere in the school, Slater was still running away from Gia, hoping he could get away from her. He found a classroom that was open and hurried inside. He closed the doors and pressed his back against the wall so that when she looked in she wouldn't see him. He waited and hoped she would give up on the chase and leave him alone. When he felt he had waited long enough and that surely Gia was gone by now he carefully opened the door and poked his head down the hallway. He checked carefully to see if she was still around. When the coast was clear he slipped out. He kept his eyes peeled for her as he walked down the hall to find his locker.

Then he turned the corner and saw someone lying on the floor. He recognized it as Gia and turned to run away. When she made no move to jump up and come after him he felt something was wrong.

"Uh… aren't you trying to kill me?" he called and slowly walked over to her. "Look, sorry I hit your friend, I guess. Holling shoved me and I guess I just… uh… are you okay?"

When he was close enough he stuck his foot out and nudged her, "Hello? I'm right here. If you want to kill me… okay, look, you get one free shot, just not the face or the nuts."

He nudged her with his foot again. She still didn't respond. He knelt beside her, "Um… seriously, are you okay?"

Suddenly she started to twitch. Slater fell back and crawled away from her as he watched, completely horrified by what was happening. She looked as though she was having a seizure, or maybe even being shocked. He did hear a slight buzzing sound, but he couldn't see anything nearby which could have shocked her.

Still, he got back up to his feet and started to run for help.


	31. Dr Oliver Makes A Trade

The Rangers, Rebecca and Mrs. Chesterfield were in the nurse's office icing Emma's eye when someone ran in.

"Where's the nurse?" Slater asked as he looked around. Ms. Chesterfield shook her head.

"She's out to lunch. What's the problem?"

"Gia rip you in half?" Jake asked. "Just use duct tape."

"No, I thought she was still chasing me but… she's in the hallway. She's not moving! Well, she wasn't, and then she started shaking or something. It's really freaky."

The Rangers jumped out of their seats and Emma dropped her ice pack as they all raced off to find Gia. Ms. Chesterfield was right behind them, but before she left she turned to Slater, "You, in my office. We'll talk once we get this figured out. Rebecca make sure he does as he's told."

Rebecca nodded her head and Ms. Chesterfield ran down the halls. She wasn't too sure where to find Gia but saw the trail of disgruntled students looking down the hallways after it seemed they had been pushed by the Rangers running by. Then Dr. Oliver raced past her and grabbed her.

"Did you hear about Gia?"

"Yeah, do you know where she is?"

"Some students found her upstairs," Dr. Oliver nodded. "They came to me because they don't know the difference between a medical doctor and a doctor of paleontology."

"They found the right person either way," Ms. Chesterfield muttered. The two climbed the stairs and turned down the hallway. There were fewer students around, but it was the lunch period so most students were either in a cafeteria or out to lunch. Neither made much of it until they turned the corner. The Rangers were standing in a line in the hallway before Vrak. Ms. Chesterfield skid to a stop. Dr. Oliver stopped as well and stood in front of her.

"What's going on?" he asked the Rangers and glared at Vrak, "These are school hours. You shouldn't be here."

"He wants Gia," Jake said and pointed just beyond Vrak to where Gia was still on the ground. "Like always, he's not going to get his way."

"This time, you'll have to give me exactly what I'm asking for," Vrak said and held up a remote. "Unless you want to see the yellow Ranger dance…"

"She wouldn't listen to you before," Jake said, "What makes you think she'll listen to you now? Vrak, this game is stupid."

"Morphers," Vrak said and held his hand out. The Rangers all frowned so Vrak pushed the button on his remote. Gia's body began to twitch. Vrak quickly glanced over his shoulder and smirked, "You know, there's only so much the human body can stand."

"Just do what he says," Dr. Oliver said to the teens. They looked over to him.

"You're kidding, right? If we give him our morphers…"

"Trust me," Dr. Oliver said and then he turned to Vrak, "How about we make a new deal? The Rangers give you their morphers and I take Gia's place?"

"You?" Vrak chuckled, "You're just a teacher. What the hell would I want with you?"

"I'm a former Ranger, Vrak. I was a Ranger since before the Megaforce team was even born and I've kept in shape."

"Dr. Oliver, what are you doing?" Troy asked. Dr. Oliver shook his head and continued to talk with Vrak.

"You can take their morphers and you can take me. I'll do whatever you want, without a fight," Dr. Oliver said. "All I ask in exchange is Gia. She's hurt, she's stubborn, you know she's not going to make the easiest… pet. I'll work for you willingly. I'll do whatever you want. Come on, Vrak, this deal's got to be better."

"Her life was given to me…"

"You can take mine instead."

"Dr. Oliver…"

"Whatever she owes you," Dr. Oliver continued to ignore the Rangers, "Whatever plans you had for her, you can use me. I'll repay the debt."

"Fine," Vrak nodded his head and walked over to Gia. He reached for her neck and unclasped the collar. He held it out, "But you will be wearing this."

"Fine by me," Dr. Oliver nodded his head. He finally turned back to the Rangers, "Morphers please."

"Dr. Oliver, you don't have to do this," Troy shook his head. Dr. Oliver insisted. He took their morphers from them and walked over to Vrak. Vrak put the collar around his neck and then snatched the morphers from his hand.

"You disobey me even once…"

"I won't even think of it," Dr. Oliver answered. Vrak grabbed his arm and suddenly they were gone.

The Rangers stood around for a moment, unsure of what to do until they heard a groan from Gia. They all rushed to her side except for Troy. He turned to Ms. Chesterfield.

"I guess you'll need a substitute."

Ms. Chesterfield nodded her head slowly as she looked to where Dr. Oliver and Vrak once stood. Then she turned to Gia and the others, "Do I need to call an ambulance?"

"We'll take her to the command center," Troy said. He grabbed his bag to take out his morpher and then remembered he didn't have it. "Dammit…"

"Vanessa's got a communicator," Emma said. "Tensou programmed it to teleport just in case she needed to escape. If we can get Gia home…"

"Put her in my car," Ms. Chesterfield said. "Get her downstairs. I'll get my keys from my purse."

The Rangers nodded and as they worked on gently trying to lift Gia, Ms. Chesterfield hurried back down to her office.

-Megaforce-

Downstairs, Ms. Chesterfield had put Rebecca in charge of making sure Slater went to her office and stayed there until she was ready to talk to him. Slater stuck around for a couple of minutes before he decided he didn't want to get in trouble for the fight he started, and he didn't want whatever had happened to Gia to be pinned on him. He ran from the office and Rebecca would have gone after him if she hadn't had a sprained ankle.

"Oh well," Rebecca muttered, "It's not like he'll never be caught. She knows where he goes to school."

Rebecca had a look around the office and then spotted Gia's bag still on the chair by Ms. Chesterfield's desk. She knew the Rangers carried their morphers around in their bags and they always had a few of their basic power cards with them in case of trouble. Hoping to be able to find the card for the Ultra Mode, Rebecca reached over and grabbed Gia's bag. She started to dig through it. She found the morpher and set it down on the desk but had to keep digging for the cards.

"Aha," she smiled as she pulled them out, "Hm, okay, morphing, lame. Weapons, lame. Zords… okay, pretty cool, but still lame… yes! Ultra Mode! This is so…"

"Where'd you get that?" someone suddenly asked her and Rebecca dropped the cards. Realizing she was caught she had to come up with an excuse fast.

"It's just one of those trading card games. You know, based off the Rangers…"

"Rebecca, I know what it is," Ms. Chesterfield walked into her office and locked the door. She picked up Gia's morpher, "Where did you get this?"

"Gia's bag," Rebecca said. "I know, I know, I'd make a really cool Ranger, but I haven't been called to action yet. I…"

"Gia's bag? She left her bag here?"

"Yeah. When we heard that fight, we left our stuff in here," Rebecca nodded. "I know the Rangers should bring their morphers with them everywhere, but I don't think they would need one to break up a high school fight."

Ms. Chesterfield grabbed Gia's bag from Rebecca's lap and put the morpher inside. She then started to pick up the Power Cards, "You have no idea what you've done!"

"I've missed my entire lunch," Rebecca said as Ms. Chesterfield took Gia's bag and ran out of the office just as the bell rang. Rebecca grumbled, "Hey, wait! I still need a little help getting to class!"

Seeing Ms. Chesterfield wasn't coming back and there was no one to help her navigate the busy halls of the school, Rebecca decided to stay seated.

"Well, I guess I'll just stay here. By the time I make it to class, I'll just be told to come back here for being late."


	32. Mrs Goodall's Nightmare

Troy paced the command center while Tensou looked over Gia. The others were too worried to be up and pacing. Noah was biting his lip and tapping against his computer bag. Emma sat on the ground against the wall with her knees tucked into her chest. She was ready to cry, but she held it in. Jake was by Gia's bed waiting for her to wake up. Now that the collar was gone there was no more risk for shock. Tensou said her heart had taken quite a hit with all the electricity that had travelled through her body in the last couple of days, but it was still beating. It was faint, but she was still alive. Tensou did what he could to let her heart rest and recover. He also ran a few scans of her brain and found nothing abnormal. He only hoped he hadn't missed something. Really, what was abnormal was that there was nothing wrong with her brain scans so far.

Troy was worried for Gia, but right now they were doing all they could to help her rest. He was worried for Dr. Oliver. It was thanks to him they had Gia back and she was collar free. However, it wasn't without a cost. They had been forced to give up their morphers to Vrak, and with it all their powers. They had also traded Dr. Oliver for Gia, which meant their teacher was now in Vrak's hands and willingly ready to do as Vrak commanded.

"Why would he do that?" Troy asked himself and walked up to the figure of the Mighty Morphin Green Ranger on the wall. "You don't even have your powers anymore."

Suddenly, Gosei's eyes lit up, "I have hidden Gia's morpher. Vrak will not be able to take it. All is not lost."

"Dude, seriously?" Jake looked up at Gosei and shook his head. "We're down to one Ranger, and she's in no condition to fight. In case you haven't noticed, Vrak's actually starting to win! He's got our powers, he's taken out one of our Rangers, and he's got our teacher, who you may or may not know as a former Ranger! If Vrak finds a way to give him his powers back we're screwed!"

"I did not recruit a team of quitters," Gosei said. "As long as we're all still standing, we continue to fight."

"That's easy to say when you're not actually standing," Noah said. "Gosei, you're hanging on a wall. Your life isn't in danger like ours in. You don't risk losing everything…"

"You do not understand the sacrifices I have already made for you," Gosei said. "I understand the fight is getting rough, but we have not lost everything. I will begin work on a suit to replace the Ranger suits. We will show Vrak it takes more than just stealing our powers to stop us."

"It takes exactly that," Jake shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Dude, we're the Power Rangers. What are we if we don't have powers? How are we supposed to stop the bad guys?"

"You are not the first team to lose their powers," Gosei said. "Along the walls, countless Rangers have had their powers stripped. They've never given up the fight. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger."

"Yeah, but Gosei, we could be killed! Then what?" Jake asked.

"And what happens if you don't fight?" Gosei replied. Jake looked like he wanted to say something but then he closed his mouth. He sat back down by Gia's bed and held her hand.

"Dr. Oliver believed in us," Troy looked to his teammates. "We owe it to him to at least give this a shot. Even without my powers, I'm not giving up. I'll take on Vrak, the mutants, and anything they throw at us with my bare hands if I have to."

"Well, hopefully it doesn't come to that," Noah said. "My martial arts still isn't that great, but I guess it wouldn't be right to call it quits. Dr. Oliver is counting on us."

"Alright, well… I'm not going to let you guys run into a battle by yourselves," Jake grumbled. "I'm in. Dr. Oliver deserves our help, and I guess I do want to kick Vrak's butt for what he's done to Gia."

"Emma, what about you?' Troy turned to her. She looked up a little startled, almost like she had no idea what was going on.

"Huh?"

"Do you want to keep kicking Vrak's ass even without powers?" Jake asked her. Emma nodded her head.

"If it's the last thing I do," she started to get up, "I should go home."

"Emma…"

"Vanessa's going to start worrying if we're home late," Emma said. "She didn't want Gia going to school with the collar in the first place. At least if I'm home I can tell her Gia's okay. Just let me know if she wakes up, okay?"

-Megaforce-

Mrs. Goodall took a day off from work. She woke up that morning and felt less rested than before going to bed. She spent the day on the couch, trying to take it easy. At some point, her lack of rest caught up to her and she fell asleep.

Mrs. Moran was in the kitchen, washing the dishes for a second time that day just to keep herself busy. She didn't like the idea of her daughter going to school with a shock collar around her neck, especially when they weren't sure if Vrak still had control over it. She knew there were enough people in the school to keep an eye on Gia, but Mrs. Moran couldn't help but worry.

Suddenly she heard a scream from the living room. She dropped the plate she was holding back in the sink and ran to check up on Mrs. Goodall. She found her best friends sitting up on the couch, clutching her heart and panting heavily. She sat down beside her.

"Nightmare?"

Mrs. Goodall nodded her head, "I've been thinking about it too much."

"What?"

"The night Emma was conceived. How it could have happened," Mrs. Goodall sighed and leaned back into the couch. "Now my brain's starting to tell me that Mr. Morris did… take advantage of me."

"Gia's nightmares did that," Mrs. Moran gently rubbed Mrs. Goodall's back to comfort her. "Out of the blue, some nights, she's get flashbacks. Emma says they were really bad after Cliff left."

"Emma says?"

"Gia kept it from Joe and me until recently. We had no idea something was wrong," Mrs. Moran admitted and then turned to Mrs. Goodall with a little smile, "There's no such thing as the perfect parent."

"I don't believe in flashbacks," Mrs. Goodall shook head her. "I believe I either do or don't remember what happened to me. And because I don't…"

"Maybe you do. Claire, you've never had to think about it before. Do you remember what happened that following morning?"

"It was… just like every other morning I guess. Well… I woke up naked but… I figured I had too much to drink and just… wasn't in my right mind."

"Really? A man takes you home and the following morning you wake up naked, and you don't think anything happened?"

"I… I don't want to think anything happened. Maybe I was too drunk to know what I was doing but I had to of… I couldn't have been…"

Mrs. Goodall shook her head and stood up, "No. That night gave me the best thing I'll ever have. That night Emma was conceived. I don't care what happened. Something good came out of it."

"I cut my finger shredding the cheese for today's pasta lunch," Mrs. Moran rolled her eyes and showed Mrs. Goodall the bandage around her knuckle. "The pasta was delicious, but that doesn't mean the son of a bitch doesn't still hurt."

"Vanessa, I'm not…"

"Claire, it's okay," Mrs. Moran smiled and hugged her best friend. "If there's someone you want to talk to…"

"I don't need to talk with someone. I don't care what happened. It's in the past. Talking to someone about it won't… undo it. I don't even want it undone. That's the night Emma was conceived. She's the best thing to ever happen to me. I'm not taking that away."

"Gia didn't want to talk about it at first. When she found someone to open up to, everything started to change for the better," Mrs. Moran said. "Claire, it doesn't mean you're weak. It doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. But now that you know, and now that you're starting to remember, maybe it's best you…"

"I'm not a child, Vanessa. This happened years ago. I'm a grown woman. I have a daughter. I've been married. I've had a boyfriend. I know how to be intimate. I trust people, I'm… I'm okay."

"Claire…"

"Look, we don't even know what happened. I've just got to get my mind off if and move on. Can we just… move on?"

"What if Emma wants to know more about that night?"

"I've told her all I know. I remember a bar…"

"Didn't you dream the bar?"

"I remembered it."

"Claire."

"Let it go, Vanessa! The point of finding Emma's father was so she could know where she came from," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "I didn't care, remember? I don't care what happened. I don't care who he is. My daughter is my daughter, no matter what. I love her, no matter what."

"Mom…"

"What?" Mrs. Goodall snapped and turned to the hallway where she heard Emma's voice. She saw the startled look on her daughter's face and regretted yelling. She breathed in deeply and calmed down before repeated, "What?"

"Are… are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Emma."

"You don't… you don't look fine."

"I am."

"What's wrong?"

"Emma, I'm…"

"You do just like Gia when she's in denial," Emma said. "You insist everything's okay."

"People who don't have anything to worry about also insist everything's okay. How was … Emma, what's that around your eye?"

"Don't change the subject," Emma shook her head. "It's fine, mom. It's just a black eye. Something's wrong with you, isn't it?"

"Tell her about your nightmare, Claire," Mrs. Moran nudged Mrs. Goodall.

"Nightmare?"

"Vanessa, don't do this," Mrs. Goodall growled. Mrs. Moran shook her head.

"Emma took care of Gia for two years. She did an excellent job with it too," Mrs. Moran said. "You have a very empathic and caring daughter, Claire. She can help you too."

"Is it about Mr. Morris?" Emma asked her mother. "Do… did you remember something else?"

"It was just a nightmare."

"Gia remembered a lot because of nightmares," Emma said. "The first year I got her back was probably the hardest because every day she would remember something new that she had suppressed. She didn't even know how bad things were until long after Cliff left her. Mom, if you remembered something, you should talk about it."

Emma reached into her bag and pulled out her phone, "Gia talks to Serena. She's amazing with this stuff. You could give her a call. I have the number…"

"Emma, it's okay," Mrs. Goodall gently took the phone from her daughter and smiled, "It was long time ago, and I have you now."

"Mom, you can't decide you don't need help…"

"Emma, I'm fine. I barely remember that night. In fact, I couldn't remember it until we started this whole thing."

"So then let me help," Emma said. "I wanted to know who my birth father was. At least let me make it up to you…"

"You have nothing to make up for. Emma, maybe I'm… stronger. I'm not scared of relationships. I'm not scared of men or intimacy or… any of that stuff."

Emma bit her lip. She looked down at Serena's number and then up at her phone again, "Mom…"

"Yes, sweetheart…"

"Were you scared of me?"

"What?"

"I think… I think sub-consciously you remembered. Deep down, you knew I wasn't da… Jeff's. You… you didn't stick around because… because I could have reminded you of everything you wanted to forget."

"No, Emma, I… I was just a bad mother. I was self-centered and irresponsible and…"

"You wanted a baby until some stranger raped you and gave you one."

"We don't know he raped me."

"He's a Morris!" Emma shouted, "Of course he did! That's all they do!"

"Emma, settle down. It's in the past…"

"It's not in the past," Emma shook her head and looked up at her mother, "That's why you didn't want to be around me. That's why you kept passing me off to Vanessa and Joe. You didn't know why but… deep down you did. Deep down, you didn't want me because of how much it hurt."

"Emma…"

"And that's why dad... Jeff didn't want me either. He must have known, somehow, I wasn't his."

"Emma, Jeff and I loved you. We were just… stupid as parents."

"No," Emma shook her head. "Mom, don't be stupid now."

"Emma!"

"When Gia dated Cliff, I told her how much I hated him. I told her she was a dirt bag. She and I didn't speak for months because she wanted nothing to do with me because she knew I was the truth! As long as she didn't have to see me or listen to me she could pretend everything was okay! You did the same thing! As long as you pretended you didn't have a care in the world, you didn't have to think about what happened."

"You can't possibly…"

"I've been through it before, mom," Emma looked up at her mother, "Please don't be stupid. Don't try and ignore this. When Gia did, it only got worse."

"I'm not Gia, Emma. She knows she went through hell. I'm not going to…"

"You're not Gia, mom, you're right. So don't do what she did. Get help now! Before this really starts to hurt us."

"Us?"

"I'm not okay with this," Emma shook her head. "Mom… everyone keeps saying they don't care but… I do. Mr. Morris hurt you. Cliff hurt Gia. I have both their blood running through my veins. I'm not okay! I don't like these answers!"

Mrs. Goodall took her daughter in her arms and hugged her warmly, "Emma, sweetheart… it's not your fault."

"That doesn't help," Emma shook her head. "There's no one to blame but me, mom."

"I'll get help," Mrs. Goodall promised her daughter. "I'll talk to someone. I'll figure this out."

She kissed the top of Emma's head, "We're not going to let this hurt us. I promise, it's going to be okay."

Emma nodded her head and buried her face in her mother's shoulder. She took a moment to calm herself down and then pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"By the way… Vanessa, don't freak out…"

"Where the hell happened to my daughter?" Mrs. Moran's expression suddenly darkened. Emma and Mrs. Goodall both backed away at once.

"She's okay," Emma assured her. "Vrak got a couple of shocks in but the collar's off now. Tensou says she's been okay."

"Vrak got… You mean he…"

"He wanted Gia," Emma said, "But Dr. Oliver did some quick thinking and a new deal was made. We had to give up our morphers, and Dr. Oliver took Gia's place with Vrak. But she's safe, and she'll be okay."

"Where's my baby?" Mrs. Moran asked. "Take me to see Gia. I want to…"

"Actually, parents are banned from the command center," Emma said. "And Gia's still asleep, so we can wait for the others to bring her home."

"Emma…"

"Vanessa, would I really be here without her if she wasn't going to be okay?" Emma asked. Mrs. Moran sighed and shook her head.

"I guess not."

"Maybe while we wait, I can call Serena?" Mrs. Goodall suggested. Emma looked up at her mother with a smile and then leaned in to hug her. "After you tell me about that black eye."

Mrs. Moran sighed heavily, "I don't know how I'm going to die, but it's definitely going to be Ranger related."


	33. Help For The Goodalls

Gia lay in the bed as Tensou ran a few more tests on her. She had been told she was okay, and that everything would be okay, but Tensou liked to be careful. Now that she was awake Tensou wanted to check her heart and brain so he could be certain there would be no long term effects from the shocks she had received.

She couldn't remember much. One minute she had been chasing Slater down the hall for picking on Jake and punching Emma in the face. The next minute, she woke up in the command center and felt a little… off. Tensou said that would pass and as she lay down and waited for him to finish with her scans she was already starting to feel a little better.

"Do you know anything of what happened?" Troy asked her when Tensou gave him and the other boys the nod that they could help Gia sit up.

"I must have been out of it the whole time," Gia shook her head.

"Vrak turned up," Jake said. "He wanted you and our morphers. He said he'd shock you to death if we didn't give them up."

"Please tell me you didn't," Gia groaned.

"You were already on the ground," Noah said. "We had no choice. We can get our morphers back… somehow."

"It gets worse," Jake said and bit his lip nervously, "Vrak wanted to take you too. I guess he wanted to continue with the pet thing. We had to trade for you."

"He wanted a pet? He…" Gia reached for her neck and felt the collar was gone. She frowned and looked around. It quickly dawned on her that someone was missing. "Emma!"

"Emma's fine," Troy promised as he and Jake gently held Gia on the bed. It was still a little early for her to be getting up and running around. "She's back at home with your mothers. It's actually…"

"Dr. Oliver made the deal," Noah said. "He traded himself and our morphers for you."

"Dr. Oliver?" Gia frowned and shook her head, "No… why… why would he do that?"

"Give us a fighting chance, maybe?" Troy suggested.

"But if he took all our morphers… we don't stand a chance," Gia shook her head.

"Well, he didn't take all our… OW! Jake!"

"He took them all," Jake growled to Noah and then pulled him aside while Troy was left to answer the rest of Gia's questions. When Jake and Noah were out of earshot, Jake shook his head, "Dude, for a smart guy, you can be pretty clueless sometimes."

"What?"

"If Gia finds out we still have her morpher, what's the first thing she's going to do?"

"Check up on Emma to make sure we aren't lying," Noah answered.

Jake scratched his head, "Alright… what's the second thing she's going to do? We just told her Dr. Oliver traded his life for her. Our teacher is in the hands of the jerk who's killed her father, attacked her mother, and tried to train her to be his pet. If Gia knows she still has her morpher and her powers…"

"She's going to go after him," Noah sighed. "Before she's ready."

Jake nodded his head and glanced over at the bed, "Dude, please, just keep quiet about this, okay?"

"Alright, but Gia doesn't like being lied to, remember?"

"Yeah, Noah, I'd rather have her extremely pissed at me than back on that bed… or worse," Jake said. Noah nodded his head and then pointed over Jake's shoulder.

"She's getting up."

Jake groaned and ran back over to the bed. There seemed to be no stopping Gia now so he held her carefully and helped her get steady on her feet.

"You have to take it easy. Even if Tensou says everything's okay, you can't just get up and walk away from being electrocuted."

"She wasn't electrocuted," Noah shook his head as she walked off. "She only would have been electrocuted if it killed her."

"Well, whatever you call this, Gia, just take it easy for the next few days, alright?"

"Just take me home," Gia answered. "I need to see Emma's okay."

"Called it," Noah smirked. Jake rolled his eyes.

-Megaforce-

Mrs. Goodall was on the phone in the living room, talking to Serena about her latest discoveries as well as her doubts about whether or not her nightmares were actually memories. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mrs. Moran and Emma were sitting at the table. Emma was catching Mrs. Moran up on what had happened in the school leading up to Dr. Oliver's capture. Mrs. Moran was grateful someone stood up to protect her daughter, but she was also a little disturbed by the news. She knew Dr. Oliver was a former Ranger. She knew he would likely have means or at least a plan to protect himself, but he was also no longer currently active. He didn't have powers to fight with. He was vulnerable, and she felt terrible about it.

"Is there a way to get him back?" Mrs. Moran asked Emma. The pink Ranger shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure. If there is, we'll find it."

Mrs. Moran let out a sigh and then heard Mrs. Goodall coming into the kitchen. She looked up and saw the phone was still in her hands. Mrs. Goodall offered it to Emma.

"Serena says she wants to talk to you."

"Me? What about you?"

"She convinced me to find a group," Mrs. Goodall said. "She's pretty sure I'm having flashbacks, and maybe talking about it to people who know what I've been through can help."

"Are you going to try it?"

"It can't hurt. One way or another, I would like to move on."

Emma smiled and nodded her head. Then she took the phone and got up from the table to talk to Serena. Mrs. Goodall took her place and looked over at her best friend.

"Serena's pretty good."

"Gia would swear by her," Mrs. Moran answered with a smile. "She says Serena saved her life. I believe it."

"Me too. She said she didn't know much about repressed memories, but she talked to me about a bad boyfriend she had and how it helped to have people around to lean on."

"You've got us," Mrs. Moran smiled and took Mrs. Goodall's hand, "And you've got that support group. Want to start looking for one now?"

"Maybe once Gia gets home," Mrs. Goodall answered. "You're looking a little tense. Do you need anything?"

"World peace? An end to the alien invasions? My daughter home safe and sound?"

"How about some tea?"

"If that's all you've got," Mrs. Moran chuckled.

In the hallway, Emma sat on the stairs and listened as Serena told her the same things she had been hearing about her friends when it came to her father's identity. As a result of her mother telling Serena about her mysterious night with Cliff's father, Serena now knew about Emma's problem and wanted to be able to talk with the pink Ranger to see if there was anything she could do to help. She wasn't saying anything Emma hadn't already heard before, until Terran's name came into the conversation.

"Have I told you yet that he's biologically Dekker's son?"

"How is that anything like…"

"Emma, come on, don't be stubborn. Terran's got evil genes and yet you'd never know it. Fortunately, he takes after my side of the family. Actually, he's taking after Emily quite a bit. He doesn't run into as many walls, though."

"Yeah, but Serena, Dekker… I mean… you said Dekker had a soft side when he was with you…"

"No, I thought he had a soft side. I thought I could change him. At the end of the day he was still a selfish, murderous, jackass. He was half-Nighlok, half-asshole. Terran would have inherited at least one of those things, and yet he's got neither. Right now, actually, he's trying to show Sammie how to crawl. He loves taking care of her. He loves being a big brother. He's always there for her when she cries. He knows exactly what to do to make her smile."

"But my birth father…"

"Does your opinion of him and his actions change now that you know he's your father?"

"Of course not."

"Do you in anyway support or condone any of the things he's done to you, your mother, or your friends?"

"No."

"Do you support Cliff and the way he's treated Gia now that you know he's your half-brother?"

"Are you stupid?"

"If you had known this before, would you have let Cliff's treatment of Gia continue because he is your brother and blood should be thicker than water."

"No! Serena, I…"

"Emma, it doesn't matter what you have or where you came from. What matters the most is who you are and what you choose to do with the hand life deals you. Terran still doesn't know he's Dekker's son. He doesn't know the things Dekker's done. I'm sure we're going to go through this with him when he does find out, but I'm telling you now, everyone who knows Terran… they love him. Even before we had his Nighlok half removed, we fell in love with a sweet and kind little boy who loves the parents who raise him, takes care of his family, and does whatever he can to make everyone around him feel good and happy. I'm sure your mother, Mrs. Moran, Gia, and all your friends feel the same way about you."

"I hope so."

"Emma, don't be stupid," Serena chuckled. "You're not your father's daughter. If anything, you're a Moran, and that little bit of Morris blood inside of you, it means nothing. We've all got something about our past that we're not proud of. I slept with a Nighloks, for crying out loud."

Emma smiled, "I guess… I guess I've always been Mr. Morris's daughter. The only thing that's changed is now I know. I was a Morris when Cliff was beating Gia up, and I felt no sympathy for him. I was a Morris when he kidnapped me and beat me and when he wanted to kill Gia, and I didn't try to cover up or make excuses for him."

"There you go. Now, hope up on your bike, go for a ride, take pictures, and don't let this change anything about you."

"That sounds really nice, but I can't. We've still got some problems to deal with."

"Problems?"

"Vrak put a collar around Gia and tried to turn her into his pet."

"I'm coming over…"

"No, Serena," Emma smiled and shook her head, "The collar's come off. Gia's fine."

"Is she really fine?"

"I'll have her call you if she's not," Emma answered. "But… that's not the problem."

"That's _not_ the problem?"

"Before Vrak took the collar off he threatened to kill Gia unless we turned her over to him and our morphers. He says Gia's life belongs to him because of some deal no one knows about."

"I'm coming over…"

"No, Serena, it's fine."

"Is Gia safe?"

"Yes."

"Are your morphers safe?"

"Well, no. Vrak took them…"

"But not Gia?"

"Dr. Oliver traded himself for Gia. We've got no powers and now no clue what Vrak plans on doing with a former Ranger."

"What about Robo-Knight?"

"Yeah, because things go well when he fights solo," Emma muttered. "Look, we'll figure this out. We might not have powers but…"

"You don't have powers? None at all?"

"Without our morphers, we can't use our power cards."

"I'm coming over."

"Serena, it's fine. We'll…"

"No, I'm coming. You Rangers are Land, Sea, and Sky, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"We're coming over."

"We… who are you bringing? Serena? Serena…" Emma checked her phone and sighed, "She hung up on me!"

She didn't have long to dwell on it as the front door opened. Emma jumped up from the stairs and rushed over when she saw the boys were bringing Gia home.

"Gia!"

"Thank goodness!" Mrs. Moran pushed her way past Emma and swallowed Gia in a hug. "I heard all about it, Gia! Are you okay? What did Tensou say? Is there anything to look out for?"

"She'll be fine, Mrs. Moran," Jake assured the worried mother and Gia tried to pull away from her mother's arms.

"It feels like you always need to suffocate-hug me whenever I come home. Mom, stop worrying! Tensou says I'm fine."

"Well done," Troy chuckled lightly, "But fine."

Gia rolled her eyes and lightly slapped him across the chest.


	34. Crashing

It was a busy day for Troy. A heavy day, it felt like. Not only had Vrak decided to show his face in the school, but he had stolen the Rangers' powers and he had also kidnapped their teacher. Troy wasn't sure how he was going to get his team and Dr. Oliver out of this mess, but he knew he had to come up with something soon. He wasn't sure how much time they had before Vrak figured something out.

But Troy was happy to be home. He was glad he could take some time to relax. Saving Dr. Oliver was pressing but he and the Rangers would need some time to rest up and mentally prepare themselves for the challenge ahead. They had no powers and yet they were facing one of the toughest challenges of their lives. Surely Dr. Oliver would understand them taking time to get back on their game.

"Oh, Troy, you're home!" his mother said just as soon as he walked through the door and she placed his little sister Ryan in his arms, "Your father and I were just about to leave."

"Leave?" Troy asked and then he groaned. He remembered this was the weekend of their anniversary and they had booked a trip away from the city to celebrate. He had agreed to babysit Ryan for the weekend. "Right… the anniversary trip."

"We'll just be a phone call away if there's trouble," his father told him and then noticed the hesitant look on Troy's face, "Are you still up for this? We've split the jobs between you and Rebecca so you each have some free time…"

"No, dad, it's fine," Troy nodded his head and looked down at Ryan as she nestled into his chest. He wasn't going to let his Ranger life ruin his parents' lives. "Go have fun."

"You are the greatest son in the world," Mrs. Burrows leaned in and kissed her son's cheek. "I've left money for meals on the counter. Ryan's schedule is on the fridge, and we're just a two hour drive away if there's a problem."

"I'll just load the bags in the car," Mr. Burrows announced as he grabbed the suitcases that were sitting next to the door and took them outside. Mrs. Burrows looked down at Ryan softly, gave her little baby a kiss on the forehead and then looked back up at Troy.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too."

"Rebecca, please take care of that leg," Mrs. Burrows turned to Rebecca who was watching from the couch. Rebecca smirked and nodded her head.

"I'll have Troy do all the heavy lifting. I'll miss you too!"

Mrs. Burrows chuckled and kissed Ryan and Troy goodbye one more time, "Take care, you three. See you Sunday night."

As she walked out, Mr. Burrows came back from the car. He took his daughter in his arms and hugged her warmly. Then he hugged Troy.

"No parties while we're gone, but don't be shy about inviting your friends over. And make sure your sister gets to bed on time."

"Ryan sticking to her bedtime?" Rebecca chuckled, "That's funny."

"You know who I mean," Mr. Burrows whispered to Troy, who nodded his head and smiled. "Have fun, kids."

He handed Ryan back to Troy and then closed the door as he stepped out. Troy walked into the living room and sighed to Rebecca.

"This is just perfect…"

"You missed half the school day," Rebecca pointed out to him, though she was sure he knew it. "Is there something going on? Something Ranger related."

"Everything Ranger related," Troy took his seat on the couch and he sat Ryan up on his lap. He smiled at her and she smiled back and reached her hands out to him. "Vrak was in the school…"

"Wait, seriously?"

"He stole our Ranger powers, he kidnapped… a teacher."

"You mean the mystery Ranger teacher I'm not supposed to know about but figured out who he is anyways because I'm the smartest person in the room right now?"

"Becca…"

"It's Dr. Oliver, right?"

"Stop doing that?"

"I can't help it if you're obvious."

"Becca, we need to take on Vrak but we don't have the powers to do it."

"What about Ultra Mode? Isn't it kick-ass?"

"We can't summon the Ultra Mode without our morphers," Troy shook his head. "Vrak's got that. He's got all our powers."

"Even Gia's? Ms. Chesterfield took her morpher today before you all took off. Did Vrak take it too?"

"No, Gosei's locked it away."

"That's stupid," Rebecca frowned. "If she's the only one with powers…"

"Vrak's been shocking her for the last few days. She's fine, but we're not going to send her into battle alone. Especially with her… passion."

"Her passion for hating Vrak?"

"Now we have to find a way to stop Vrak, rescue Dr. Oliver, and get our powers back, all without our Ranger powers."

"Oh, and handle diaper duty. That's a stinker," Rebecca shifted away from her brother and plugged her nose. "I've got a history assignment to write and seeing as my teacher wasn't kidnapped, I've got to hand it in, no excuses, Monday morning."

"Ryan, really?" Troy looked at his baby sister and shook his head. "The weekend just started and you know I've got a lot on my plate."

"Kid doesn't make it easy," Rebecca chuckled. "Go on, her diaper needs changing."

Troy grumbled as he lifted himself and Ryan from the couch, "I'll bet past red Rangers never had to deal with this."

"Yeah, pretty shitty," Rebecca chuckled and then ducked as a soft toy was thrown at her head. "Not cool!"

"Not funny!"

-Megaforce-

"Are they asleep?"

"Tucked in, nice and cosy."

"Good, I thought our moms would never settle down," Emma fell back into the couch and let out a heavy sigh. Gia chuckled as she fell down with her.

"It's been pretty crazy for them these last few days," Gia said. "Vrak showing up, my shock collar, the Wild Sword, your mother finding out about us."

"Yeah, thanks for powering down in front of her."

"Sorry. Mom's life was on the line. I couldn't think of anything else."

"Finding out about dad…"

"You're not still… Emma, I'm serious, this changes nothing."

"People keep telling me that. It's not easy to ignore it, you know."

"Yeah, but Emma, I'm serious…"

"I know," Emma smiled and turned to Gia, "And… I do believe you. My father doesn't change who I am."

"Good," Gia said and rested her head on Emma's shoulder. Emma leaned her head on Gia's.

"You should probably get some rest too. I'm surprised you're standing right now. Your heart's taken a big hit these last few days with all those shocks. If we're going to be strong enough to save Dr. Oliver, you're going to need to take it easy for a little while. Go to bed, I'll check up on you in a couple of hours."

"Fine," Gia muttered and started to rise from the couch when the doorbell rang. She turned to Emma and then checked the time on the TV, "Are you expecting someone?"

"If that's Vrak at the door, I swear, I'm going to hurt someone," Emma muttered. She walked past Gia and into the front hallway. She peeked through the window beside the door and recognized the people standing on her front step. She opened the door, "Serena?"

"You look surprised. What do you think I meant when I said I was coming?" Serena smiled as she stepped in and dropped an overnight back on the floor. Behind her were Mia and Kevin. Mia was carrying an infant child seat in her arms with her son Jesse in the seat while Kevin carried a tired Riley. They also looked like they were going to be staying. Behind him, Kevin was pulling a suitcase.

"We heard you lost your morphers," Kevin whispered.

"And your powers with it," Mia added. "We came to help."

"You did?"

"Land, Sea, and Sky," Serena smirked as she pointed to herself and her former teammates. "Hey, you guys may not be Samurai, but you are Rangers. There's got to be some kind of power flowing through you. Who better to help you pull them out that us? Besides, I want to make sure your mother follows through on her promise to look for a support group, Emma."

"I'll make sure of that myself."

"Why are the kids here?" Gia asked and gestured to Riley and Jesse.

"James can really only handle two kids at once when he's by himself," Serena said, "And even that's risky. Quinn and Felix are both sick, so Mike and Emily have their hands full, and Lauren, Ally, Jayden, and Antonio are working all this weekend and can't look after the baby," Serena pointed to Jesse.

"We promise they'll behave," Kevin said. "Speaking of the kids, is there somewhere we can put them?"

"Um… Gia and I can share…"

"My room," Gia said and Emma looked to her with a little frown. She shrugged her shoulders, "What? I don't want kids going through my stuff. Kevin, Mia, you can sleep in Emma's room. Serena, you've got the couch."

"Actually, can Riley take the loveseat?" Kevin asked as he spotted it in the living room. He turned back to the girls, "She's a kicker."

"So is Gia," Emma chuckled and Gia frowned at her. Emma ignored her best friend and started going upstairs, "Let me get some sheets. Do you guys need anything?"

"Nope," Kevin answered as he gently set Riley down on the love seat while Mia quietly took Riley upstairs. "We've packed everything we're going to need."

Gia looked to Serena as the former white Ranger started digging through her suitcase for her pyjamas, "I know we're Ranger family and stuff, and we help each other out, but it's still polite to call and ask before you show up and crash at someone's house."

"I told Emma I was coming and bringing friends. Besides, Jesse's starting to sleep through the night and Riley's going through this phase where she sleeps almost until noon. It's a blessing now. They honestly won't be a bother."

Serena found her pyjamas and pulled them out. Then she looked up at Gia, "By the way, how are you?"

"Kind of tired. Why?"

"When I talked with Emma earlier, I kind of just assumed you would be okay with the whole… she's related to Cliff thing."

"I am."

"Good, but are you still okay?"

"It's a little weird," Gia admitted. "But I've always consider her to be my sister regardless of blood, I guess I can do the opposite for this."

"You know, if you ever need to talk…"

"I'll show up at your place unannounced."

"I told Emma I was coming," Serena rolled her eyes. Then she leaned in and kissed Gia's forehead, "Anyways, I'm glad you're feeling better."

"If you mean better as in currently recovering from mild to severe electrical shocks I've had to suffer over the last few days that nearly killed me, then yeah, I'm feeling better," Gia smirked and teased Serena as she started to climb the stairs. Serena's jaw dropped as she hurried after the yellow Ranger.

"Wait… what? No one told me there were shocks involved. Gia! Gia Moran, get back here!" Serena chased Gia all the way up the stairs and caught her by the arms before she disappeared into her room. "What the hell? When Emma said Vrak threatened you I thought she just meant like… you know, rip you in half or something. He shocked you? Are you okay? Have you seen a doctor? How's your heart? Is there any brain damage? Nerve damage?"

"Calm down," Gia chuckled as she pushed Serena away, "You're as bad as my mother. Serena, I'm fine. Tensou looked me over already. All I need is a little rest…"

"Gia," Emma whispered when she saw the yellow Ranger still hadn't gone to bed, "You have to take it easy!"

"Geez," Gia grabbed the doorknob for her room, "How many mothers do I have? Goodnight, guys."

"I've made the couch for you," Emma said to Serena. "We'll take you to the command center tomorrow and you can tell us exactly how you're going to help then."

"Sounds like a plan," Serena nodded her head. "Do me a favour, check up on her tonight. As much as I trust your little robot friend…"

"Don't worry, I'll be keeping an eye on her," Emma promised.


	35. Guests For Breakfast

Mrs. Moran was up early the following morning and, as usual, made her way downstairs to the kitchen to see if there was something for breakfast. It was the weekend, so even if their teacher hadn't been abducted by an alien, the girls would be at home and sleeping in, and Mrs. Goodall, who worked during the week, always took advantage of her days off to sleep in. Mrs. Moran was hoping she had enough in the fridge to get started on a nice breakfast.

But before she made it to the kitchen, she heard some snoring from the living room. She had stopped by Gia's room to check up on her daughter on her way downstairs and saw both the girls asleep in the bed. She figured Mrs. Goodall would probably be in her bed, as it wasn't a far walk from the kitchen or living room, no matter how tired she was. Mrs. Moran couldn't help but be curious about the noise coming from her living room.

She was surprised to find a young child fast asleep on her couch. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and checked again, but the child was still there. Then she started to smell coffee.

"Good morning."

She turned around and saw Serena was offering her a cup. She accepted it, took a sip, and looked around again.

"Why is there a stranger passed out on my couch?"

Serena chuckled, "Sorry. I invited some friends. We arrived late last night."

Mrs. Moran sighed, "Serena, you know you're always welcome here, but please can you call first, especially when you're bringing friends?"

"I told Emma I was coming," Serena repeated herself again and rolled her eyes, "Kids these days just don't listen."

"Here, here," Mrs. Moran lifted her cup of coffee. "So, why exactly are you here?"

"I talked with Emma yesterday and she mentioned the Rangers losing their powers. Kevin, Mia, and I are here to give them a little hand until their get their morphers back."

"I prefer you over Gosei."

"I'm sure he's doing something."

"He better be. So… what exactly can you do for the Rangers?"

"They have Power Cards based on elements," Serena said. "You know, Land, Sea, and Sky?"

"Yeah… and…?"

"Look, it's a far stretch, but our Samurai powers are also connected to the elements," Serena said. "The Rangers may not be Samurai, but I find it really hard to believe all that power they summon comes from a flimsy piece of paper they shove in their morphers. That power is inside of them. We're going to try to help them pull it out."

"And that will…"

"They'll have some attacks they can use against Vrak until they get their morphers back."

"Sounds like a plan. You're not going to do anything to get them killed, right?"

"Hopefully not. I don't plan on it."

"That's probably the best answer I can get," Mrs. Moran sighed. Then she pointed to her love seat, "So the kid…"

"Mia and Kevin's daughter," Serena said. "She had to tag along. They brought their son too. I promise they won't be any trouble."

"Just take care of my girls and I don't care what these kids do," Mrs. Moran said before she walked into her kitchen and saw the two strangers whom she assumed were Mia and Kevin sitting at her kitchen table. Kevin stood up to explain but Mrs. Moran held her hand up. "Don't worry about it. Is there any breakfast?"

"There are waffles on the counter," Mia said and glanced to Kevin with a little bit of surprise. They knew they had welcomed themselves into a stranger's home and had expected to be bombarded with questions.

"Mmm, waffles," Mrs. Moran lifted the cover on the plate and grabbed her share, "Stay as long as you want."

"You might want to try them first," Kevin chuckled and then he was smacked on the arm by Mia.

"You love my waffles!"

"Yeah, now," Kevin smirked. Mia rolled her eyes and then resumed feeding her son. Mrs. Moran sat down at the table and pointed to the baby.

"Wait, he's been here all night? I haven't heard a thing."

"He doesn't cry much," Mia nodded her head and smiled, "Just when he needs something. He's a pretty easy baby."

"I wish Gia had been easy," Mrs. Moran muttered and then stuffed her waffle in her face. She heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and then they stopped suddenly. She turned around and chuckled as Mrs. Goodall stared at the strangers in the room.

"There's waffles on the counter, Claire."

"Is this one of those things where I shouldn't…?"

"Yep."

"Mmm, waffles," Mrs. Goodall hummed as she walked over to the counter and lifted the lid covering the waffles. She took just one and joined the others around the table.

"Mommy!" a scream suddenly pierced the ears of the parents just before Riley ran into the kitchen. She climbed up on her mother's lap and hugged her, "Where are we? I woke up and it wasn't my bedroom!"

"We had to come here last night," Mia explained. "You remember Gia and Emma, right?"

"Aw, man! Do they need help again?"

"Yes, they need help again."

Riley looked around the table and shook her head disappointingly. That was when she noticed the waffles. She pointed to her mother's plate, "Where are mine?"

"On the counter. Kevin, can you help her?"

Mrs. Goodall watched the little family and couldn't help but notice Riley's age compared to the age of her parents. She didn't want to sound rude but she just had to ask, "Um, how old is Riley?"

"They adopted her when she was four," Serena explained as she walked into the kitchen, dragging with her the yellow and pink Rangers. "Don't worry, there's no bad example here."

"I wasn't thinking that," Mrs. Goodall said. "I was just… curious."

"She's a handful," Kevin commented from the counter while Riley snatched her plate from his hands.

"No, daddy! You have to make a new one! Why isn't it pink Ranger shaped? You always make it pink Ranger shaped! This is just a circle, and not even a good one!"

"Go sit down, Riley. Today is a busy day. I can't make a pink Ranger waffle. If you stop complaining and sit down politely, I'll turn the circle into a smiley face."

"Won't be as cool," Riley muttered but she carried her plate over to the table.

Serena looked to Kevin and Mia, "We should probably get going now. The sooner we start, the more time we have."

"Good idea," Mia nodded her head and started to lift Jesse to put him in his carrier. Mrs. Moran shook her head and gestured for Mia to carry him over.

"We'll watch the kids."

"Uh… are you sure?" Kevin asked. "The baby's the easy one."

"I'm not a baby," Riley looked up and frowned at her father.

"Please, consider it a trade," Mrs. Moran insisted. "You take care of our girls, and we'll watch your kids."

"It's probably a good idea," Serena looked to the pink and blue couple, "The kids might just get in the way. Besides, Troy said we could go to his place."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Kevin asked. Serena pointed to Jesse.

"Remember where you got him from. His sister lives with him."

"Oh… yeah, probably best to wait," Kevin nodded his head. He walked over to Riley and quickly made the smiling face on her waffle, "You be good."

"I'm always good, daddy."

"Sure," Kevin kissed the top of her head, "You listen to Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Goodall. Do whatever they tell you without giving them a hard time. And take care of your brother, too."

"I'm not changing diapers," Riley put her hand up and looked to her two babysitters, "Called it."

"Claire can change the diapers," Mrs. Moran smirked.

Mrs. Goodall swallowed her bite of waffle and then glared at her friend, "Why me?"

"You need to make up for missed experiences."

"I… you… fine…"

"Can't we at least have breakfast?" Emma asked as the Samurai ushered her and Gia out the door.

"We'll pick up something on the way," Serena promised.

"But waffles…"

"We'll pick up waffles," the door shut. Riley jabbed her waffle in the eye.

"Did you know I'm a Samurai?"

"Serena, Mia, and Kevin are the Samurai Rangers from Panorama," Mrs. Moran whispered to Mrs. Goodall. "They're here to help the Rangers with their little problem."

"My parents always have to come and save the new Rangers," Riley said. "You know, my mommy's the best pink Ranger ever!"

"She knows?" Mrs. Goodall asked Mrs. Moran. Her best friend shrugged.

"I guess she knows."

"She knows we know?"

"She probably doesn't know it's supposed to be a secret."

"I know it's supposed to be a secret," Riley said. "But family is allowed to know."

"Not all family."

"Well, you know," Riley shrugged. She jabbed her waffle's other eye, "My mommy can beat the new pink Ranger's butt."

"No she can't," Mrs. Goodall shook her head.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Mrs. Moran handed Jesse to Mrs. Goodall and then started to collect the dishes from around the table, "Claire, you're arguing with a child."

"And losing," Riley smirked.

"Prove it," Mrs. Goodall challenged the little girl.

"Fine," Riley nodded. "When they come back, they'll spar. Winner is the best."

"Deal."

"Your years of mothering experience are just shining through, Claire," Mrs. Moran chuckled. "By the way, you do smell that, right?"

"What? Aw, already? Seriously, kid?" Mrs. Goodall pinched her nose and looked down at Jesse.

Riley giggled, "He's stinky, too."

"Perfect."


	36. A Day Out

Troy set Ryan down on Rebecca's lap that Saturday morning and shook his head as his oldest sister grumbled. She was just on the couch, watching her morning cartoons like every other week. Meanwhile he had already fed, changed, and dressed Ryan for the day. Rebecca couldn't do much with the baby because of her sprained ankle, but Troy was at least expecting her to help out while his teammates came over to train and talk about what they would have to do to help Dr. Oliver and get their morphers back.

He decided to invite them all over to his house for the day. It would be a change of pace from always meeting up either at the Brainfreeze, the command center, or the Moran's house to talk strategy. He also figured Gia and Emma would like a break from all the Ranger action taking place at their home, where their mothers were vulnerable. While Troy wasn't fond of potentially bringing trouble to his sisters, he figured it was only fair he offer up an alternative.

"Just keep her entertained while the others are here."

"You realized I gave up my baby so I wouldn't have to do this," Rebecca said. Troy put a toy in her hands.

"I've done everything else. There shouldn't be a problem. Just see if you can make her laugh or something. Mom's been trying for weeks."

"You mean I could be first?" Rebecca asked and then looked down at Ryan and smirked, "Oh, you're laughing for me."

Troy rolled his eyes. Right at that moment the doorbell rang. He was surprised to see all his friends had arrived at once, and they brought more people with them. Serena, Kevin, and Mia were with the teens and they looked ready for some training. Troy furrowed his brows.

"Umm…"

"We heard about what happened," Kevin explained. "We think we might be able to help."

"Seriously?" Troy asked as he invited everyone inside.

"You might not be Samurai, but there's got to be a way to tap into the power still inside you," Mia nodded her head. She had a look around the house and then pointed back out the door, "But, um, while in training, this might get a little messy. Especially with the earths and waters. Maybe we should head out to the park or the woods or something?"

"I… uh…" Troy looked over to the living room. He didn't want to bring his sisters along to somewhere open to train, worried Vrak would be able to find them and he would cause more trouble. But he also couldn't let the house fall apart while his parents trusted him at home alone. He also couldn't leave his sisters alone. Ryan was just a baby and Rebecca couldn't take care of her by herself for an entire day. Especially not with a sprained ankle.

He sighed and tapped the stroller in the hallway, "Alright, but we're going to have to take this. The only reason I suggested we train here is because my parents are gone this weekend. We'd have all the space we need to talk."

"Talk? With…?" Kevin pointed to the living room where Rebecca and Ryan were playing together.

"She knows. She won't cause trouble. Rebecca, c'mon. We're going to the woods."

-Megaforce-

"That's _not_ how you put a diaper on," Riley said to Mrs. Goodall as she watched over the older woman's shoulder. Mrs. Goodall was struggling with Jesse's diaper as she tried to remember the best way to keep the baby still and secure the diaper around his bottom all at once.

"It's been, what fifteen years since…"

"_I_ had to do this," Mrs. Moran watched from the couch and chuckled.

"I changed some diapers."

"More often than not, I remember you'd let Emma run around naked because it was easier to clean up the mess than change the diaper."

"It was."

"That's backwards! Elmo's not supposed to be on his pee-pee!"

Mrs. Goodall looked up at Riley and then down at the baby again and groaned. The diaper was backwards. There was too much in the front and not enough in the back.

"If you're where the new pink Ranger comes from," Riley shook her head, "Then mommy's definitely going to win the pink Ranger fight."

"Emma is a perfectly good pink Ranger," Mrs. Goodall finally figured out the diaper and secured it around Jesse's waist. She lifted him up, checked to be sure there would be no leaks and then started to fit him back into his clothes.

Riley shook her head and sighed. She looked down at her brother, "Don't worry, Jesse. I still know what I'm doing."

"I told you, you needed practice," Mrs. Moran chuckled as Mrs. Goodall took Jesse in her arms and walked over to the couch. She fell back into it and let out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't remember Emma moving around that much."

"Once she figured out how to walk, it took both Joe and I to hold her down and strap that thing on her," Mrs. Moran chuckled.

"I thought Gia was the difficult child."

"Gia would take her diapers off and flush them."

"Wow. And daddy calls me a handful," Riley climbed up on the couch, "So, what are we doing now?"

"It's a nice day out," Mrs. Moran suggested, "What if we went out to the park? I think there's still a stroller in the garage."

"You still have a stroller?" Mrs. Goodall asked.

"I want grandchildren," Mrs. Moran shrugged her shoulders. She took Jesse from Mrs. Goodall and walked over to his diaper bag, "I'll get the kids ready for a day outside. Claire, can you get the stroller?"

Mrs. Goodall nodded and made her way out to the garage. Riley helped Mrs. Moran figure out what was best to take with them to the park for Jesse. When they were all set and had everything they needed, they made their way outside. They found Mrs. Goodall on the driveway struggling to set up the old stroller. Riley hit her hand against her head.

"This might take longer than diaper changing."

"They make these so complicated," Mrs. Goodall frowned. "Where the hell is the baby supposed to go. This isn't his size?"

Mrs. Moran set the baby's car seat in the stroller. It fit perfectly. Mrs. Goodall rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine, my inexperience is showing. I never used to take Emma for walks."

"What did you do?" Riley asked.

"I went on expensive trips."

"Mommy and daddy make expensive trips sometimes," Riley smiled. "Expensive trips to the toy store, expensive trips to the grocery store, and sometimes expensive trips to get gas. That one is funny, because Jesse's got a lot of free gas. That's what mommy says."

"Yeah… that's what I did," Mrs. Goodall nodded her head. Mrs. Moran flashed her friend a little smile.

"You're back now, that's what counts."

"Come on slowpokes! I don't have all day!" Riley cried out from the end of the driveway, "Are we going to the park or not?"


	37. Laugh In A Bottle

"Look at them, Ryan. Apparently, this is how Power Rangers train. They sit in the grass all day and just… sleep. We can do that. We're good at that. We can be Power Rangers."

Rebecca turned the baby around she was facing her and rolled her eyes, "We'd make great Power Rangers. I'll be orange. That's a cool colour. You'll be… you know, I don't know, what your favourite colour?"

"We're not sleeping," Troy whispered to his sister as he opened one eye and glanced at her, "We're meditating."

"We're connecting the mind and the body," Kevin explained. "It's crucial to learning to master the power within. If the Rangers stand a chance against defeating Vrak without their powers, they need to learn to focus."

"My butt's falling asleep," Jake said and leaned to one side to scratch, "How long do we have to do this for?"

"Have you moved a mountain yet?" Serena muttered. Jake closed his eyes again and started to hum. Serena groaned.

"Jake, you don't actually have to hum. Silence is actually preferred."

"You meditate your way, I'll meditate my way," Jake said and then he hummed again but it stopped suddenly. Serena opened one eye again to see what happened to shut him up and saw Gia kissing him. She chuckled while the yellow Ranger pulled away.

Gia looked Jake in the eyes, "Now, shut up."

He nodded his head silently to continue the meditation.

"Crazy Rangers," Rebecca rolled her eyes and then looked down at Ryan. The little baby looked up at her with a bright smile. She looked like she wanted to play. Rebecca smiled back, nodded her head, and gently laid her on the blanket in the grass. "Alright, resume giggle time. We're not meditating; we can make as much noise as we want."

Rebecca then started to make funny faces for Ryan. They always made her smile and it almost looked like Ryan was ready to push out a laugh. Rebecca knew she was so close, and would love to hold the bragging rights for being able to make Ryan laugh for the first time.

But funny faces didn't work. Rebecca tried as many as she could and there was nothing for Ryan to laugh at. She knew the little baby loved funny noises, and she could do a mean cow impression. She started to smack her lips and let her face fall. Ryan didn't seem impressed at first, and when Rebecca first mooed the little girl looked startled.

Then, she started to giggle. Rebecca heard it first and continued with her barnyard impressions. She moved on from cow to pig, which Ryan seemed to find even more hilarious because Rebecca could also twitch her nose.

"She's pretty good," Serena said as she cracked an eye open, "It reminds me of when I was a little girl."

"She's laughing," Troy knew meditation was important, but he couldn't miss out his little sister's first laugh. He got up and walked over to the girls on the blanket. "Rebecca, you got her to laugh."

"I can do a pretty good rooster too," Rebecca said and readied her voice. Troy looked down at the baby and tickled her stomach. While she was in the laughing mood she decided to keep going, and instead of expressing her joy with a simple laugh like before, Ryan continued to giggle.

Troy smiled but it quickly fell from his face when his baby sister suddenly turned into a ball of yellow light. He tried to grab it but it passed through his fingers and lifted into the air. He, Rebecca, and the other Rangers watched as it disappeared into the forest.

"Ryan!"

The Rangers jumped to their feet and followed the light through the woods. Gia hung back with Rebecca and helped the younger girl to her feet.

"This is the part where you might want to run."

"But Ryan," Rebecca was handed her crutches as she looked to the forest worriedly, "Gia…"

"We'll save her. You go hide somewhere. Don't let… whatever this is see or hear you, got it?"

Rebecca nodded her head and started to make her way somewhere safe to hide while Gia followed her friends into the woods. When she caught up to them she saw they were staring at what seemed to be the newest alien.

"Vrak really doesn't let up," she growled as she joined her friends in line. "What's his deal? Where's the kid?"

"In there," Jake pointed to the bottle the alien held firmly in his hand.

"And how did he get her in there?" Gia asked.

"Laughter," Troy clenched his fists tightly.

"I hate it!" the alien cried and shook the bottle. "I want to silence laughter because it annoys me. So when people laugh, I trap them!"

"Give me back my sister!" Troy shouted and stepped forward. Nojoke looked at his bottle and then smirked.

"I have your sister, eh? Well, once time runs out, she and all the others will dissolve and I'll drink them up!"

"Oh, man, that's low," Kevin growled. He saw Troy looked ready to lunge and grabbed the red Ranger's shoulder to hold him back. Then he whipped out his Samuraizer, but just as he was about to use it the alien disappeared.

"No!" Troy shouted. He ran to where Nojoke had been standing and looked around desperately, "Hey! Come back you coward! Give me back my sister!"

"I really wish we had our powers now," Noah muttered. Troy turned to him and shook his head. Then he looked over at the Samurai.

"Cut this meditation crap," he growled and walked up to Kevin, "How can we get enough power to save my sister!"

"Troy, you know better than anyone that before you can harness your powers…"

"My baby sister is in that bottle!" Troy shouted. "We don't have time for meditation! We have to stop that monster and we need to do it fast!"

"Troy… Troy!" Kevin shouted as the red Ranger suddenly took off. He ran after him. Mia and the boys all followed. Emma and Serena were about to leave as well when they noticed Gia staring deeper into the woods.

"Gia?"

"Is this his big plan?" she asked. "Get a pet, steal our powers, and then send in this clown? Seriously, a monster that steals people who laughs?"

"Gia…"

"What do we really have to laugh about now?"

Emma walked up to her best friend, "We are trying to stay positive. Vrak's probably just keeping us distracting and trying to make sure we don't get too optimistic."

"Optimistic? What do we have to be optimistic about? Does he really think we're down here laughing even with all…?"

"Aren't we trying? I mean, you don't want me moping around about my birth father, do you?" Emma reminded Gia and then took her hand, "Vrak's not getting away with this. At the end of the day, we'll be the ones getting the last laugh, I promise. We'll stop this alien; we'll get our powers back, save Dr. Oliver, and then show Vrak we can't be messed with."

"Let's rescue that baby," Gia smiled and nodded her head. Emma smiled back and then turned to Serena.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Are you two sure there's nothing going on here?" Serena smirked and pointed between the two of them.

"Stop kidding around, Serena," Gia said as she walked by her, "You don't want to end up inside that bottle, do you?"

"I'm thinking there's a bottle I'm going to want by the time this is all over with," Serena said and followed the girls back to the city.


	38. Laugh Attack

Mrs. Moran had spent the better part of the morning teasing her best friend about her parenting skills when it came to baby Jesse, but as she watched Mrs. Goodall play with Riley at the park, she could really see the inexperienced mother had something to offer. Mrs. Goodall would chase Riley around the play structure, help her slide safely down the fire pole, push her on the swings, and even sat with her on the teeter-totter. The two looked like they were having a blast.

It warmed Mrs. Moran's heart to see her best friend could be a caring mother, but it also broke her heart a little bit too. It was clear Mrs. Goodall had no idea what she was doing when it came to babies, which could have been another reason she constantly passed Emma out to her, but she obviously knew what she was going with kids and seemed to really enjoy spending time with Riley. If she had only waited out through the difficult years like most parents, maybe she would have found her stride as a mother. Maybe it wouldn't have taken seventeen years for her to realize her daughter was her greatest gift.

Mrs. Moran was distracted for a moment when she heard a lot of laughter from behind her. A young boy was having a birthday party in the park and his parents had hired a clown. Mrs. Moran loved the sound of kids laughing and turned around to see what the clown was doing to make them giggle so much. That was when she saw something strange. The clown had an assistant who hadn't been there before. His costume did look a little funny, but Mrs. Moran recognized it quickly. No quickly enough for the boy's party guests, as they were suddenly transformed into a ball of yellow light and sucked into the bottle he was holding, but she was fast enough for her own family.

"Claire! Riley!" she shouted as she put Jesse in the stroller and started to push him towards the park. "We've got to go!"

"Aw, but we were…" Mrs. Goodall began but stopped when she noticed the park seemed bare. She looked up at the sky, thinking maybe people were gone because the weather was starting to turn, but the sun was still out and there was not a cloud in the sky. So she looked back at Mrs. Moran and saw the monster.

"You mean that's not a clown?"

"There's nothing funny about this guy," Mrs. Moran nodded her head. She came by with the stroller and reached out to grab Riley's arm so they could start running some place safe, but Riley reached into the diaper bag and pulled out a pink Samurai Ranger mask. Then she started to run towards the monster.

"Riley!" Mrs. Moran screamed while Mrs. Goodall went after her.

"I'm a Samurai!" Riley shouted. She made it halfway to the monster when Mrs. Goodall snatched her up. It was too late for both of them, though, as the alien had already spotted them.

"Well, what do we have here?" the alien asked. Mrs. Goodall turned around to run away but felt something grab her around the waist. As she looked down to see what it was and how to break away from it, she felt something tickle her sides. Unable to resist, she started laughing. Suddenly, everything was black.

Mrs. Moran watched in horror as Mrs. Goodall and Riley were tickled into light and sucked inside the monster's bottle. At first she wondered what was going on, but she remembered all the strange powers the monsters had before and put the pieces together. The kids had been laughing just before they had been taken into the bottle. Mrs. Goodall and Riley had both been tickled to laugh, and then sucked inside the bottle.

While the monster was distracted ensuring the lid on his bottle was secure and that nothing would spill out, Mrs. Moran reached for the diaper bag and pulled out her cell phone. She started to call Gia's number but then something wrapped around her waist. She tried not to laugh but couldn't resist for long.

-Megaforce-

"Troy, wait up!" Jake called and he was the first to reach the red Ranger just before they got back to the city. He grabbed Troy's arm and had to roughly pull him back and throw him into the ground to get him to stop trying to leave, "Dude, settle down. This isn't going to do anything!"

"He took my sister," Troy tried to jump up. Jake pushed him down again. "My baby sister!"

"Yeah, and we're going to get her back," Jake promised. The other Rangers caught up to him and Troy and circled around the red Ranger so he would have nowhere to run.

"Meditation is crap. We don't have time!" Troy looked to Kevin and shook his head. "We need our powers fast."

"Gosei said he's working on something," Noah reminded him. "As soon as he knows there's an alien on the loose, he's going to give us whatever we need to stop him."

"We'll go back to the command center," Gia suggested. "We need to figure out what's going on and what this has to do with Vrak."

"Gia's right," Kevin said while Gia felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and took a couple of steps away from the group to answer it. "The best thing we can do right now is get some sort of plan figured out. We're useless if we try and jump in. You should know that, Troy."

"He does," Jake said and offered his hand to the red Ranger to help him up, "He's just a little anxious to get to that point."

Troy accepted Jake's hand and he was pulled up to his feet.

"Thanks for waiting, guys!" Rebecca called out as she finally caught up to the Rangers on her crutches. "Seriously, I'm surrounded by heroes and not one of you remembered I kind of need a little help?"

"Becca, are you okay?" Troy asked as he walked over to her. "I'm sorry, when the monster too Ryan…"

"Yeah, no damage done," Rebecca nodded her head and crossed her arms over her chest, "Except maybe for your awesome status with me. You're now not as cool as I used to think you were."

"I'm sorry," Troy repeated. Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Guys… we might have another problem," Gia said as she joined the group and held out her phone. She put it on speaker and replayed the message she had just received. It wasn't very clear, no one could make out what was being spoken but they could hear laughter. Then the call ended suddenly.

"Who is it from?"

"Mom," Gia closed her phone and put it away. "I think Giggles got to her."

"Another attack at home?" Emma groaned and rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Gia, I know you love that place, but I think it's time to move."

"Riley doesn't like staying inside all day," Mia shook her head. "If your mothers were smart, they'd have taken her to the park to spend all her extra energy."

"Your mom used to always take us out to the park on nice days," Emma said to Gia. "Let me call my mom and see if maybe she knows what's going on."

As Emma started to dial her mother's number, Kevin walked over to Mia.

"The kids…"

Mia took his hand and squeezed it gently, "We've taught Riley well. If she's in trouble…"

"She is trouble, Mia," Kevin looked down at his wife. "What if that monster turned up and she decided…"

"Hey, she's the fearless pink Ranger," Mia looked up at him with a smile. "Don't freak out, Kevin. We'll figure something out."

"Mom's not answering. I can't even get through," Emma said. Noah then reached into Gia's pocket and took out her phone, causing her to let out a little cry and hit him.

"OW! Sorry, but I might be able to trace the signal from your mother's call. Tensou's technology is really amazing."

"Next time, just ask," Gia muttered.


	39. Going To The Source

When the Rangers arrived, the park was deserted. Personal belongings had been left behind, but there wasn't a single human in sight. Noah checked his laptop again and then nodded his head.

"Right here," he said and pointed to the ground under his feet. He looked to Gia, "Your mother's last call came from right here."

"Her call, not her last call," Gia growled and Noah nodded his head. He looked to his laptop.

"Alright, I'm doing a scan, and it seems that monster was in the area not too long ago."

"That might explain why the people are missing," Serena pointed out. "Just like in Panorama, no one wants to stick around and be monster food."

"Not everyone disappeared," Mia said as she came back to the group pushing a stroller. The Rangers looked inside and saw Jesse napping peacefully. Mia lifted him from his carrier and held him close. Rebecca looked at the boy and bit her lip. She knew who he was. She knew when Mia and Kevin turned up that her baby was close. When they showed up without him, she had been disappointed, but also relieved. Giving him up had been the hardest decision she ever had to make.

Seeing him now, she regretted the decision and didn't all at once. Mia and Kevin were great parents, she had that feeling when she first met them. But seeing him looking so sweet and precious, she wished she could have kept him.

"I guess the monster really did come here," Gia sighed and looked around the park again. "Mom would never leave the kid alone like that."

"That makes three victims, then," Emma said. "Ryan, Vanessa, and my mom."

"Four," Kevin took his son from Mia's arms, "Riley wouldn't have left him either."

"Alright, I have a really great question," Jake put his arm up in the air, "So, this monster kidnaps everyone and locks them away in a tiny bottle so he can drink them like smoothies later, but he leaves one baby wide open? Is his bottle full?"

"We need powers. We need our powers back," Troy started to walk off, "I'm going to the command center."

"It's a far walk," Noah closed his laptop. "I'm sure if Gosei had something ready for us he'd just teleport us."

"Well, I'm not just going to sit around here and wait for the monster to show up again," Troy turned around and stared at his team. "Right now we're just useless. At least at the command center we can do something."

"I might have a Symbol that can take us there," Kevin said and he whipped out his Samuraizer. He traced a Symbol and almost like magic the Rangers appeared in the command center. Rebecca grabbed her head.

"What the hell…?"

"Symbol Power," Kevin told her and then looked to her apologetically, "Sorry, I probably should have warned you it takes some getting used to."

"Tensou!" Troy called when he saw the robot racing by. He grabbed him and held him back, "We need those replacement suits Gosei promised us."

"Uh… well… you see, designing something with even a fraction of the power of your regular Ranger suits is…"

"Tensou..."

"I'm sorry," Tensou shook his head and looked up at Troy sadly, "We don't have anything ready yet. Vrak's really pressuring us with this monster. As it stands, you're on your own."

"My mother would be happy to hear that," Gia rolled her eyes and then looked down at the little robot, "You know how much she loves it when my life is in danger."

"Well, you could just take your morpher, yellow Ranger," Tensou said to her casually before he noted all the looks he was receiving from the other Megaforce Rangers. He made a motion a lot like human gulping when he realized his mistake, "Uh… I mean… what?"

"My morpher?" Gia asked and knelt before him, "But everyone told me Vrak had taken all the morphers."

"No he didn't," Rebecca shook her head. "Don't you remember, when that Slater kid started getting in a fight with Jake, we left our stuff in Ms. Chesterfield's office? Your morpher was…" Rebecca was interrupted as Troy used his hand to cover her mouth.

"Kids," Troy said but he knew it was already too late. Gia knew.

"Uh, yellow Ranger," Tensou said nervously, "Um… not that I can really feel it, but… well, my sensors are telling me you're squeezing my back plate really tightly."

"Where is my morpher?" Gia asked him.

"We locked it away so Vrak wouldn't…"

"Where is my morpher," Gia asked again and Tensou knew her grip had tightened. He looked up at her nervously as her morpher appeared between them. Gia snatched it and was about to leave the command center when Jake and Emma both grabbed her.

"Gia, you have to take it easy," Jake reminded her. "Even if we all had our powers, it would still be best for you to maybe sit this one out."

"It's not been long since you were almost electrocuted," Emma agreed with the black Ranger. Gia pulled away from both of them and shook her head.

"I'm fine now," she said. "I don't have that collar anymore. Vrak's got Dr. Oliver and that monster has Troy's little sister, our moms, and Riley. If I have power, I'm going to use it."

"Yellow Ranger," Tensou rolled up to her, "Think of what your mother would want you to do. The Ranger suits may protect you but a battle may only put more stress on your heart and brain. Your scans came back normal yesterday, but who knows what'll happen in that battle…"

"Then I won't go into battle," Gia said. "I'll stop this nonsense at the source…"

"Gia! No!" Emma shouted and reached out to grab her best friend again but Gia teleported away. Emma spun around, "Gosei! Bring her back!"

"She will just disappear again," Gosei sighed. Suddenly, a light shone before each of the Megaforce Rangers, "I may not have suits ready to protect you, but I have come up with these. Just like your morphers, they will allow you to use your Power Cards. With them, you will have access to your weapons and Zords."

"Only without protection…"

"We'll be your protection," Serena offered herself, Mia, and Kevin. "We still have our Ranger Powers. We can take the big hits. You guys just focus on getting that bottle out of the monster's hands to free all the people he's captured."

"And I will send Robo-Knight after Gia," Gosei said. "Good luck, Rangers. And stay safe."


	40. Baiting The Monster

The Rangers arrived back in the city, but they noticed that Nojoke had already been though that part of town and he had captured more people. Possessions were lying around, but there was no one around. They tried to follow the trail of missing people he left behind but they were always a step behind.

"This is getting ridiculous," Noah grunted.

"We have to find a way to draw him out," Troy agreed. He pulled out his cell phone and looked at the time. He wasn't sure how long it would take the people in the monster's bottle to dissolve, so every second that passed was precious. He wouldn't risk losing his baby sister.

"There's got to be a way to draw him out," Kevin said. He and the other Samurai were already morphed. It was a bit of a risk assuming their Ranger identities right in the middle of the city when the Megaforce Rangers couldn't do the same, but so far there had been no one around to see them. "You know, catch him in the act or get him to come to us."

"Well, we know he hates laughter," Mia said. "He wants to capture all the people who laugh so he can silence it."

"Maybe Gia's right," Emma sighed and looked down at her temporary morpher, which only had enough power to give her access to her Phoenix Shot and the Zords, and couldn't actually allow her to morph. "Maybe we do have nothing to laugh about. Vrak's got Dr. Oliver hostage. My mom, Vanessa, Ryan, and Riley are all victims of the latest monster attack, which we don't have the power to fight… what if this is just Vrak making a point? He's won. We have nothing to laugh about. That's why the monster isn't coming near us. That why he doesn't fight us."

"Uh, is she giving up?" Serena turned to Mia and Kevin and asked. Then she turned to the other Megaforce Rangers, "You guys can't be giving up. This is hardly a problem anymore."

"We can draw the monster in with laughter," Kevin said and looked around the group, "Alright, I've got a joke. Riley told me this one the other day. I cracked up. Alright, so why was six afraid of seven?"

He received blank stares. Even from Mia and Serena who had their faces hidden by their helmets but the boredom and disinterest seeped through their body language. Kevin continued with the joke anyways.

"Seven ate nine!" Kevin chuckled and looked around again to see if the joke worked. "Get it? C'mon, guys, it's funny. You know, because ate sounds like the number eight, so when you say it…"

"Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble," Jake gave Kevin a pat on the back, "But if you have to explain it, it's not funny."

"But I laughed when Riley told me that one… and I'm not normally a jokester."

"You were probably sleep deprived," Mia told her husband.

Noah put his hands together, "Okay, wait, I've got a joke. What did one wall say to the other? Meet you at the corner! Get it… because…"

"Dude, if you have to explain it, it's not funny," Jake rolled his eyes. "C'mon, guys, we're in a lot of trouble right now. It's going to take a little more than some lame puns to get us all to laugh."

"Oh, what do lawyers wear to work," Troy asked and looked around. Jake let out a groan. He was tired of puns. Troy continued with his joke anyways, "Law suits!"

"Aha!" Mia smiled and Troy thought he got someone to laugh at his joke. He looked around at the others proudly until he realized there was no laugh. Instead, Mia was asking Jake for his phone.

"Okay, but unless you know a comedian…"

"Mike sent me this email the other day," Mia said. "He said he was dying of laughter. I didn't get it."

"More bad jokes?"

"Mike thought it was funny, and you and Mike seem… equally…"

"Special," Serena smirked through her helmet and shot Jake a look, which he caught even with her helmet concealing her face.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Mia showed Jake his phone with her email on it. Jake read over the email and then scrolled down to see what Mike could have sent that he found so funny. As soon as he saw it, his eyes lit up and his face turned red as he tried not to just burst out laughing. When he remembered that was the point he let out a cry of laughter and doubled over to hold his stomach. He could barely breath he was laughing so hard.

"What exactly is on that email?" Kevin asked.

"Some comic book reference, I think," Mia shrugged her shoulders and watched as Jake dropped to the ground and started to roll around in laughter. "You know, this is almost making me wish I read comic books."

"There he is!" Troy shouted and they pointed to Nojoke who appeared down the street.

"Jake, stop laughing!" Noah said as he tried to pick his best friend up from off the ground. "You don't want to get sucked into his bottle."

"Right…" Jake chuckled but he couldn't stop himself. Noah sighed and whispered something in Jake's hear. Suddenly, Jake straightened up and shoved him.

"Hey! Don't talk about her like that!"

"Sorry, I had to get you to stop laughing," Noah said.

Troy looked to the Samurai, "You guys keep this clown distracted. We'll see if we can find a way to get those people out of that bottle."

"You'll have to get it from him first," Kevin reminded him. "But we'll do our part to help."

-Megaforce-

After teleporting away from the command center, Gia arrived in another part of the city. She wanted to rescue her mother and the others from Nojoke, but what she really wanted was for all the danger to stop. She knew her friends would come up with a way to stop the monster and save everyone. She decided, while she still had her powers, she would go after Vrak. She wanted to see him destroyed. At the very least, she wanted to get Dr. Oliver back. She preferred the former, but would settle for the latter.

She morphed and she knew that would be enough to draw Vrak's attention. He wanted the Rangers' powers and yet he missed one. She knew he couldn't hold out with just one morpher missing from his collection, especially hers. He would have to come down. He would have to come to taunt her, beat her up, make her feel worthless, and take away her powers. She knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

She started to call his name and taunt him, knowing that could get his blood boiling. She didn't expect the person who appeared behind her, though.

"You are behaving recklessly."

Gia sighed, "Yeah, because you never go off on solo missions, Robo-Knight," she spun around to face the robot. "Look, I still have my powers; I'm going to use them."

"And fight Vrak on your own? Without your teammates to help you? You've just taught me the value of teamwork and now you want to fight alone?"

"You're here."

"Yellow Ranger, Gosei is very angry with this decision. You're putting your life in danger. You're taking an unnecessary risk…"

"Robo-Knight, my teacher's somewhere on Vrak's mothership or whatever he uses as a cave to hide in after we kick his sorry ass. He did that for me! He's got no powers. He hasn't been a Ranger in almost a decade. Vrak didn't want him…"

"He made his decision…"

"And I'm making mine," Gia growled. She bumped shoulders with Robo-Knight as she walked past him. "Vrak's been tormenting me ever since he found out about… well, about me. He helped my abusive ex-boyfriend escape from jail, and even though he killed him… that doesn't erase the pain he's caused. Vrak's made clones of me and the others Rangers, and they kidnapped me, killed my father, and threatened to do the same with my mother. He's teased me, taunted me, and made me feel worthless so many times. Hell, we went to the future and he fucking killed me!"

"Yellow Ranger…"

"He recently threatened to kill my mother again because of some stupid deal he thinks was made that basically gave him rights to my life. He put a collar around my neck. He shocked me. He almost killed me again… Robo-Knight, this isn't just about saving the world anymore. This is personal…"

"He finds you are a great threat," Robo-Knight said as he stepped in front of Gia and blocked her way again. "No good enemy would waste so much time and effort on an opponent so… weak. While my understanding of the emotional side of humans is very limited, I do understand you have suffered quite a bit and you're still standing in Vrak's way. Most opponents would have simply given up."

"What are you saying? He's threatened by me?" Gia scoffed and rolled her eyes. Robo-Knight put his hands on her shoulder and looked at her. He nodded his head.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You should have been dead a long time ago. No matter what he tries, he cannot stop you," Robo-Knight stepped out of her way, "Nor can I. If this is still something you feel you need to do, then go for it. I will have your back."

"Didn't Gosei send you out here to stop me?" Gia asked him. Robo-Knight shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably the only thing more stubborn than a computer is a yellow Ranger," he said. "I will simply inform Gosei that there was nothing I could do to stop you."

"There isn't."

"I know," Robo-Knight answered. Suddenly, he and Gia were knocked backwards by a huge explosion. When they gathered their bearings and got to their feet, they saw Vrak standing a little ways off, with Dr. Oliver by his side.

Vrak chuckled, "Well, I knew I was one morpher short."

"Gia, what are you doing here?" Dr. Oliver called to her and she quickly noticed her collar was now around his neck. She scowled and turned to Vrak.

"Let him go!"

"This will be a lot more fun," Vrak shook his head and pushed Dr. Oliver forward, "Bring me the morpher."

"Gia, get out of here!" Dr. Oliver shouted. "I'll be fine! You need to come back with your friends! That's the only way you're doing to…"

Gia winced when Dr. Oliver started to shake and dropped to the ground. She remembered that feeling of being shocked.

"Stop it, Vrak!"

"Hand over your morpher!" Vrak held his hand out.

The shocks from the collar ceased and Dr. Oliver got back up to his feet. Vrak pushed him forward again.

"Get me the morpher and bring me the Ranger," he commanded. "Dead."

"Don't let Vrak get away," Gia instructed to Robo-Knight as she summoned her Tiger Claw. She noticed Dr. Oliver coming towards her and couldn't blame him for following Vrak's orders. She knew how much the shocks hurt. She was surprised by what she saw next, though, as the teacher began to transform. Scales covered his body; a tail grew out behind him along with a set of wings. His body nearly doubled in size and his hands and feet grew claws. When the transformation was complete, Gia couldn't help but notice he resembled a dragon.

"Like it?" Vrak asked her. "I borrowed a little bit of information from Bluefur and Biggs on you humans. Using the genetic make-up they collected from your friends, I was able to create my own pet. I wanted a Tiger, but I guess a dragon is just as cool."

"If mom finds out what I did," Gia glanced over to Robo-Knight, "she's going to be so pissed off."

She was suddenly knocked off her feet as Dr. Oliver, now a dragon, flew towards her at a high speed. Robo-Knight, even with his sensors, barely saw the dragon take out the yellow Ranger. He pulled out his blaster from his belt and tried to shoot at the mutant while Vrak disappeared but he heard a cry. The dragon had Gia.


	41. Fighting The Dragon

Even for the Samurai Rangers, the battle against Nojoke was a rough one. While they didn't find any of his jokes particularly funny, he had a few attacks that would cause the Rangers to laugh if they let their guard down, like a tentacle of energy that would tickle them. The Rangers were doing their best to keep a straight face in the fight. Serena thought of the worst memories she had to keep herself from laughing while Mia and Kevin continuously reminded themselves that the monster had kidnapped and threatened to drink their daughter. That was enough to keep them focused.

Meanwhile, the Megaforce Rangers were doing their part to help. Noah and Emma had blaster weapons, and so whenever they had a clear shot at the monster they would hit him from afar. Troy and Jake spent their time trying to come up with the best way to get the bottle away from the monster.

"Wait, look at that," Troy pointed to the fight as Nojoke chuckled at the Rangers' falling over each other in a miscalculated attack. The top of the bottle moved and Nojoke covered his mouth to stop himself from laughing. "The bottles sucks up anyone who laughs."

"Yeah, welcome to the party, Troy," Jake nodded his head. "C'mon, dude, think harder…"

"No, look closer. If Nojoke laughs, _he_ ends up in the bottle."

"So?"

"If we make him laugh…"

"The bottle will suck him up and we can destroy it and set everyone free. Then we can laugh our way to victory!" Jake smiled. "Dude, nice call."

"Do something funny."

"Me?"

"You were bored of everyone's jokes earlier," Troy nodded his head. Jake breathed in deeply and tried to come up with something that could possibly make the monster laugh. He noticed Nojoke had a hard time keeping a straight face every time the Rangers took a hit. He seemed to take amusement in their pain.

"Sorry, buddy," Jake said and then he smacked Troy over the head. The red Ranger frowned but then he picked up on what Jake was trying to do. He slapped the black Ranger. Then the two of them grabbed the other by the shirt and started to fight.

"HA!" Nojoke cried out happily when he noticed the Rangers fighting, "You guys are beating yourselves up!"

"Guys!"

"Come on!" Noah and Emma called as they tried to pull them apart. "We're supposed to fight the alien, remember?"

Troy swung for Jake's head but he missed when Jake ducked. His momentum pulled him forward and he hit the ground. Nojoke grabbed his stomach and doubled over in laughter. Then he had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing.

"What are they doing?" Mia asked and furrowed her brow. She turned to Kevin who shrugged his shoulders.

"Guys, come on! While he's distracted," Serena said and swung her Spin Sword at the alien but he fell to the ground and started to roll around with laughter as Troy and Jake continued to fight comically.

"No… stop!" he said as he wiped away some tears. "Please, you're killing me!"

"Yeah, exactly," Serena nodded her head and perched her sword over her shoulder, "What exactly is going on?"

"AH!" Nojoke cried out, but couldn't stop himself from laughing as the comedy continued. He grabbed his bottle, "No… no, please! No, stop! I can't… My laughter, it's sucking me into the bottle! I… I must…"

Nojoke grabbed his weapon and struck the bottle with it, destroying it. All his victims escaped the bottle and Nojoke rose to his feet. He was struck down instantly by the Samurai's sword and couldn't defend himself as he continued to laugh at the comedic fight between Jake and Troy.

"This is seriously weird," Emma said and turned to Noah. The blue Ranger could only shrug his shoulders and winced when he saw the alien was destroyed.

"Weird, but good," he answered.

Troy and Jake let each other go as the Samurai ran over to them.

"Alright," Kevin said. "If that thing grows, you guys need to take over. We don't have our Zords anymore."

"Look," Noah pointed to the spot where Nojoke had been defeated, "Vrak's bats… they aren't coming."

"Thinks he knows those are a waste of time?" Jake chuckled, but his face dropped quickly. He remembered he was one teammate short, and he remembered his girlfriend's vendetta against Vrak. He remembered that once she found out she still had her powers she made it her mission to stop Vrak once and for all. "Gia…"

"Come on!" Emma cried and tugged on his arm. Jake didn't need to be told twice, nor did the rest of the team. Only Troy, Mia, and Kevin ran in the other direction. They had loved one who had been freed from the bottle and needed to be there to ensure they were alright and that they would get home safely.

-Megaforce-

Gia had her back pressed up against the tree and Dr. Oliver, as a dragon, held her there with his massive hands. She could barely breathe and had already dropped her Tiger Claw on the ground, out of reach, but this fight wasn't done. She reached out and tried to touch his collar. She needed to get it off of him. Before she could even touch it, Dr. Oliver was shot in the back. He cried out in pain, grabbed her around the waist and spun around. She tried to break free from his grip as he began to crush her and saw Robo-Knight with his blaster trained on her and the dragon.

"I don't care who you are, dragon!" Robo-Knight said, "Let the yellow Ranger go or I will destroy you!"

"No, Robo-Knight! Don't hurt him! He's human!" Gia cried out. She continued to struggle in the dragon's hand until she felt her strength leave her. Her Ranger suit disappeared, making her completely vulnerable. She looked up at Dr. Oliver and saw his mouth, with his sharp, fang like teeth coming towards her. She held out her arm and forced it into his mouth, giving him something to chew on other than her head. Then, with her other hand, she punched him in the nose. He cried out in pain, let go of her arm and then threw her into the Robo-Knight. The robot caught her, then hugged her close as he fired off his blaster.

"This is a losing battle," Robo-Knight said when the smoke began to clear and the dragon was still standing. "We must retreat."

Gia couldn't argue even if she wanted to as Robo-Knight jet away from the dragon. When they were a safe distance away he landed and set Gia down in the grass. He looked at her arm.

"Does it hurt?"

"It's fine," she pulled her arm away. Robo-Knight grabbed it back.

"You're bleeding."

"It's fine."

"Bleeding is not good for humans," Robo-Knight's chest opened, which Gia never imagined it could, and he pulled out a first aid kit. She started to chuckle.

"What do you need that for?"

"In case you Rangers do something stupid," Robo-Knight looked at Gia as he started to wrap her arm. "Tensou suggested I carry it around."

"Do you think this qualifies as something stupid?" Gia asked. She looked down when Robo-Knight finished with the bandages.

"The risk was reckless and unnecessary. You put yourself in danger, abused the power you had, and made your teammates, Tensou, Gosei, and me worry for your safety."

"You were worried?"

"Gosei will not be happy," Robo-Knight stood up and offered his hand to Gia. She accepted it.

"You were worried?" she asked him again. "But Robo-Knight… I thought you were… I mean, Tensou's obviously got feelings but you're… well."

"I have learned a lot, yellow Ranger. You Rangers are my team. I need you."

"Coming from you, that's sweet," Gia smiled. Robo-Knight suddenly grabbed her around the waist.

"Come on, we need to get back to the command center. If we wait any longer before going back, Gosei will not be pleased with either of us."

"Moment ruined."


	42. Suspension

While the Rangers were back in the city fighting the aliens, Rebecca had been ordered to stay in the command center, and while it was a bit of an unusual and complicated request, she had been asked to babysit Jesse.

It was the first time she got to hold him since the day she gave him away. Before letting his adoptive parents take him away, she had been allowed to hold him and say hello and goodbye all at once. She hated what she had done to herself. She hated how she had to give up her first born. She knew it was the best decision she could have made at the time. She just wished he had come later in her life when she could care for him. Not when she was sixteen and stupid.

Getting to hold him now was a good and bad thing. He was so small, and sweet, and precious in her arms. A small part of her wanted to take him back and be his mother. Fortunately, she knew better. She had chosen to give him to Mia and Kevin because they were great parents, better than she could hope to be at this time. She knew the best thing for him was to keep him with his real family.

Tensou looked over her shoulder and tilted his head, "So… this is your son?"

"Technically, yes," Rebecca answered the robot.

"But the pink and blue Samurais are his parents?"

"Yes. I adopted him. I'm too young to be a mother."

Tensou tilted his head the other way, "If you are capable of making another human being, aren't you capable of being its mother?"

"No."

"You know, not that long ago it was common for girls your age to be mothers."

"Yeah, but times are different now. We take longer to mature. Some people are twice my age before they're ready to have kids."

"Until such time they are ready, do they give away their babies too?"

"No. They wait."

"Why didn't you wait?"

"I wish I had," Rebecca smiled and then leaned down and kissed Jesse's forehead. Suddenly there was a light in the command center as the Rangers came back. Rebecca looked around at the whole crowd of them and knew the alien had been defeated. Mrs. Goodall and Mrs. Moran were in the command center and looked a little dizzy and Mia was holding Riley in her arms, hugging the little girl who was wearing a mask of the pink Samurai Ranger.

Troy knelt before Rebecca. He had Ryan in his arms. She was looking around and smiling. It was as if nothing had happened.

"Not a word about this to my parents," he told her and Rebecca pretended to seal her lips. Kevin leaned over and took Jesse from her arms.

"Sorry about that."

"It's alright. I don't mind a little bonding," Rebecca said. "Let's just not make a habit of it or I might steal him back."

Kevin nodded his head. He walked back over to Mia with his little boy in his arms. While he did that, Troy looked over to Rebecca and saw a little tear in her eyes. He put his arm on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"It's okay."

"I know," Rebecca nodded.

"Giana Moran!" a yell echoed through the command center and all eyes turned to Mrs. Moran as she shouted at Gia. "You did what?"

"Is she in trouble?" Rebecca asked her brother. Troy nodded his head.

"She's going to suffer."

"Mom, I…" Gia started but her mother wouldn't have it. She snatched the morpher from her daughter's hand and marched up to Gosei.

"That is it!" she shouted at him. "I don't care if you need a team with a yellow Ranger. I don't care if my daughter is the best candidate! I'm pulling her!"

"Mom!"

"Take this back!" Mrs. Moran screamed and threw the morpher at Gosei. The morpher disappeared before it hit his face.

"For once," Gosei said. "I agree with you. Gia, step forward."

Gia bit her lip and reluctantly walked up to Gosei. She looked up at him, "I…"

"Your actions today were stupid, irresponsible, and reckless. You put yourself in danger, and by running off by yourself you force me to put Robo-Knight in danger. You put Dr. Oliver's safe in jeopardy, and you risked giving Vrak the sole morpher we have left. You've abused your powers, you've disobeyed me and you've completely disrespected your teammates and friends."

"Gosei…"

"It is, for this reason, I am pulling you from the team."

"Pulling me? But…"

"This isn't your first warning, Gia. My decision is final. As of today, there will be no yellow Ranger."

"Whoa, whoa, time out," Serena cut in. "Alright, for starters… Mr. Tiki… I agree, the kid's an idiot."

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Gia frowned and looked up at Serena.

The white Ranger frowned at Gia and then looked back at Gosei, "Look, we all do stupid things from time to time. Ask my teammates. When I was a Ranger, I did stupid things all the time!"

"She's like the queen of stupid decisions," Kevin said. Serena glared at him over her shoulder.

"We didn't need to support me that much."

Kevin shrugged.

Serena resumed her defense of Gia, "Suspend her, Gosei, or make her clean the entire command center with a toothbrush, or my sister's got this weird training regimen with watermelons that'll really convince Gia to think twice before running into dangerous situations, but the team needs a yellow Ranger."

"My decision is finale. Gia is the only Ranger who has given me troubles since day one."

"Gosei, look around! You've got generations of Rangers lining your walls! And I don't mean to make one colour seem less important than another, but I dare you to find me one team of Rangers without a yellow!"

"She is a liability," Gosei said. "Vrak's gotten inside her head. For her safety, for the safety of the team, and for the safety of the planet, it is best if we…"

"Give me two days with her," Serena said and put her hands on Gia's shoulders. "Please, Gosei, I've been in her position before. I had a crazy maniac coming after me too. He'd hurt anyone I care about, and I did some pretty stupid things that I thought would protect them but I just put them or myself in more danger. Suspend her, Gosei, for two days, and I promise, when those two days are up, you're going to have a better, stronger, smarter yellow Ranger."

"The team will have to weigh in," Gosei said and all eyes turned to Troy. This was what he hated as a leader. He needed to speak for the team. He needed to know what they wanted and he also needed to know the best thing for them.

"Two days," Troy said. "Gia's an important member of our team. We can't risk losing her just because Vrak's gotten under her skin one too many times."

Troy then turned to Gia, "But this cannot happen again. Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"

Gia lowered her head and glanced over to her mother. Mrs. Moran was not happy at all. She turned back to Gosei.

"Gia, you are hereby suspended for two days. You may return to your position as Ranger on condition you have improved. Serena, you have two days to teach her. No more, no less."

"I have the perfect idea," Serena nodded her head. Suddenly, they both disappeared from the command center.

Mrs. Moran grabbed her head in her hands. Mrs. Goodall pulled her in for a hug.

Jake kicked at his console. Emma bit her lip.

"We should go home," Troy said. "It's uh… been a rough day."

Kevin scratched the back of his neck and nodded, "Uh, we can continue training you tomorrow. We've offered to help until you get your powers back. We're going to hold up on that promise. Well, if that's alright with…"

"Yeah," Mrs. Moran nodded her head and then turned to Tensou, "Can you send me home?"

"Vanessa, are you okay?"

"Tensou, please."

"Home time," Tensou nodded his head, pressed a button on his body, and suddenly everyone was gone.

* * *

_Author's Note: Holiday weekend for me (Thanksgiving weekend). It's going to be busy with work and family and just having a good time. I have no idea how it'll effect my updating schedule, so just in case, I'll give out a deleted scene. I will try for regular updates when I have time, but I make no promises. Same rules as last time; reviewers from chapter 41 will have rights to the deleted scene._

_But I want to play another game, seeing as you all seemed to love it. Any guesses what Serena's plan for Gia may be? Winners will either get the deleted scene, or, if you've already received it, you will be granted a preview of a future chapter (chapter 56). Winners won't be revealed until the chapter is posted, so there's no worries for spoilers. Hint: When Serena suffered a **similar** trial, she saw a talking dog._

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers. Hopefully I see you all soon!_


	43. She'll Be Better

_Author's Note: Any more guesses? I've seen some really interesting ones so far._

* * *

When they got home, Rebecca followed Troy up to Ryan's nursery. It was getting late and she was due for bed. The little girl seemed quite excited after her day and it would be hard to get her to settle down. It didn't help that the entire way home; both she and Troy had done what they could to make her laugh. Now that they knew it was safe for the little girl to giggle, they wanted to hear it as much as possible.

However, as Rebecca watched Troy calm the baby down, she couldn't help but feel something was missing. She looked down at her arms and could almost still feel Jesse. The little boy was precious and she wished she could have kept him, but she knew he was better off with his adoptive parents. They were right for him. She just wished things could be different. She wished she didn't have to give him up.

"Are you okay?" her brother asked her and Rebecca nodded her head.

"I'm just thinking."

"About Jesse?"

Rebecca sighed and turned away, "I know I made the right decision, Troy. I mean, did you see him? He's happy and cute and safe and… Mia and Kevin have it together. I wouldn't have. He's much better off with them."

"But…"

"I miss him. Even… even if I'm not his mom anymore, and I'm not ready to be a mom… I mean… he's still… that's still my baby."

"I know," Troy said. He hugged his sister for a moment and then pulled away from her, "What do you say we forget about the babies for the rest of the night? Ryan's out for the next few hours. We have the house to ourselves. Is there anything you want to do?"

"Your dad bought ice-cream for the weekend," Rebecca said. "Can we eat straight from the tub?"

"We can eat as much as we want straight from the tub," Troy nodded his head and gently guided his sister towards the door, "You can make the stairs by yourself?"

"I've been practicing," Rebecca answered. "Why, aren't you coming?"

"I will, I just…"

"Is it about Gia? She's just suspended…"

"She's not just suspended," Troy shook his head. "Becca, if she can't get it together… I mean… I get what she did. I get why she did it, but I understand Gosei too. We can't risk losing Gia or the yellow Ranger, but at the same time if she's going to keep doing stuff like this…"

"You might anyways?" Rebecca asked. Troy nodded his head and sighed. Rebecca reached out and put her hand on his shoulder, "Hey, take it from the queen of stupid decisions, if she really wants to change, she will."

"She doesn't have to change. She just… needs to think."

"Yeah, I know. I just…" Rebecca looked up at her brother and smiled, "Serena seemed really determined to getting Gia back on track. Kind of like how you really wanted to help me. If Serena keeps that up for just two days then she'll straighten Gia out and you'll have an even better and smarter yellow Ranger than you do now. Well, if smarter is possible. You know, when I was in Ms. Chesterfield's office I saw some of Gia's old report cards…"

"Becca…"

"I wasn't snooping! They were out and the words just happened to be seen by my eyes and processed for meaning by my brain. You can't blame me for being a normal functioning human being."

"Rebecca…"

"Look, she's super smart," Rebecca said. "I'm confident she just needs someone to remind her that her life is just as important as the people she's trying to protect. You know Gia means well. She's just… a little broken still. But she'll be fixed. You believe me, right?"

"I guess I'm going to have to," Troy nodded his head and then started to walk with his sister to the kitchen."

-Megaforce-

When they got home, Mrs. Moran made sure her guests were comfortable. She knew they were already set up in the spare room but got them anything else they would need for their extended stay. Then, she was fortunate they were tired enough from the day to want to all go to bed because Mrs. Moran couldn't keep it in anymore. She walked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Goodall and Emma were making a quick dinner for themselves, and she kicked over a chair.

"Vanessa?" Emma asked. Her mother put her plate in her hands and told her to go upstairs. Emma did so reluctantly. When Mrs. Goodall was sure Emma was gone she turned back to Mrs. Moran.

"Not in front of the girls."

"Girl," Mrs. Moran growled back. "Not in front of the girl. We've only got one."

"It's just two days, Vanessa. You trust Serena, remember? She's going to take care of Gia."

"That's not it," Mrs. Moran shook her head and kicked over another chair, "All this time I wanted to blame Gosei and his stupid Power Rangers. All this time I thought my daughter wouldn't have to suffer so much, or be in so much danger, if she just wasn't a Ranger."

"Things would be different…"

"The girl's an idiot!" Mrs. Moran screamed. "She knows she's still recovering. She knows it's dangerous. She still wants to go out and fight Vrak on her own? Did you see the bandages on her arm? Did you see the blood…?"

"I did."

"I'm raising an idiot! I'm raising a suicidal, reckless, careless idiot! All this time I thought Gosei was putting her in danger. No! She's been running in head first knowing it could get her killed!"

"Is that really what you think of your daughter?"

"I tell her, time and time again, to be safe. I tell her how important she is to me. I tell her how valuable her life is, how special she is, how amazing she is, and she just wants to throw it all away because some alien kidnapped her teacher!"

"She went to save him, Vanessa. It was dangerous and stupid, but the girl's got…"

"Don't you dare take her side! I hope Serena can't get her to smarten her up. I hope Gosei kicks her off the team and I can have my baby back…"

"You're never getting your baby back," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "Vanessa, Gia's not a baby anymore. I know you want to, but you can't protect her."

"Claire…"

"If there's one thing I know about Gia… she's a fighter. Her friends and family mean more to her than anything. I may have been absent, but I was never blind. No matter what, Gia protected Emma from everything. Anyone, big or small, who wanted to mess with Emma, had to get through Gia first. And the girl was tough. She knew how to scare everyone. Gosei hasn't done this. Being a Ranger hasn't turned Gia into… this. Gia's always been this way. She's always tried to protect the people she loves. Gosei just… raised the stakes a little bit."

"He shouldn't have…"

"He obviously had a reason for picking Gia," Mrs. Goodall said. "I mean, I can see why he would. He probably just had no idea he wouldn't be able to control her like the others. You have a strong, independent, and caring daughter, and nothing is going to change that."

"I can't lose her, Claire."

"And Serena's going to make sure that's never going to happen. But we want her back on the team. Do you really think a lack of yellow spandex is going to keep her away from all this? Her best friend and boyfriend are wrapped up in the Ranger world. You know better than anyone that's enough to suck you in completely. Wouldn't it be better if she had the spandex?"

"I don't know, Claire."

"She'll figure this out. She'll smarten up. She'll be better. You won't have to worry about her so much. I promise, this is going to be good."

Mrs. Moran sighed but accepted the embrace when Mrs. Goodall leaned in for a hug. She held her best friend close, "I'm so glad you know, Claire. I don't know what I'd do if I had to face this alone."


	44. Reckless Death

Gia didn't know where she was. After Gosei sent her away from the command center she found herself in the forest, but not in any familiar part of it. She was just thankful she had Serena with her and she wouldn't be alone.

"I guess I'm not going home," she muttered.

Serena looked around as well and then shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head, "It's probably for the best anyways. You haven't really put much thought into what the others might be feeling."

"I…"

"I'm not blaming you," Serena used her Samuraizer and lifted a rock out from the dirt. She took a seat on it and then did the same with another rock for Gia. When the yellow Ranger sat down, she looked at her with a sympathetic smile. "Look, I've already told you I'm a screw up, right?"

"You've never gone into detail with it," Gia said. "I guess you're going to now?"

"I have a bit of a protective side," Serena nodded her head. "I guess it comes from Emily always needing someone looking out for her when she was younger. I was always the strong, capable, heroic, older sister. There was nothing I couldn't do to keep her safe."

"What does this have to do with Gosei suspending me?"

"I'd have taken that morpher and run straight to Vrak too if I were in your shoes," Serena said. "I can't stand the thought of someone getting the better of me. I can't stand letting anything happen to the people I care about, or even the people who care about me. I'd do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant putting my life in danger. Even if it meant getting killed. Nothing mattered more to me than protecting my loved ones."

"Dr. Oliver sacrificed himself for me," Gia said. "I know it was dangerous. I knew it would get me into a lot of trouble, but we have a bit of hope. I have my morpher. I had a chance to save him and…"

"A slim chance," Serena said and pointed to Gia's arm, "Tell me the other guy looks a lot worse."

"I wish I could."

"Look, Gia, I get it. I get you. If I were you, I would have done exactly the same thing. I'd run straight into danger without a thought of what would happen to me because… well, because as long as I know the people I care for are safe, I don't care what happens to me. The thing is, though, and it took me a long time to figure this out, that's not enough. Let's take Dr. Oliver for example. Let's look at how he got caught the way he did."

"I didn't see it happen," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "But Vrak put a collar around my neck and he shocked me at school. The guys say he appeared. He thinks he owns my life and he wanted to take me as a pet. Dr. Oliver traded himself instead."

"Why do you think he did that?"

"To protect me?" Gia looked up at Serena and then sighed and shook her head, "I know that, but I couldn't do anything for myself then. I'm feeling better, I have my morpher with me still…"

"But no team."

"But…"

"Did you come face to face with Dr. Oliver when you found Vrak?"

"Who do you think gave me this?" Gia asked and lifted her arm. Serena stared at it curiously for a moment before she shook her head.

"Was he surprised to see you?"

Gia bit her lip and looked back down at the dirt. She nodded. "He told me to run."

"Why?"

"What I did was stupid."

"Why?"

"I could have gotten myself killed."

"And why would that be bad for him?"

Gia rubbed her arm, "He sacrificed himself for me. I guess… I guess if I die doing something stupid and reckless, it'll have been for nothing."

"I knew you were smart," Serena smiled. "I know you want to help. I know you don't want to see people getting hurt. You're a good kid, Gia, and you're an excellent Ranger, but sometimes, jumping in head first and confronting the bad guys is the weakest, stupidest thing you can do."

"Alright, I get it…"

"I really want you to get it, though, Gia. I don't want this to happened again."

"It's not like I make a habit out of it," Gia rolled her eyes, "Serena, I'm not abusing my powers. Last time Gosei and Tensou had to have a word with me… it was nothing like this."

"What was it?"

"Emma's dad… well, Mr. Goodall, wouldn't sign the divorce papers. He was being stubborn. I went to visit him and… kind of scared him into signing."

"As the yellow Ranger?"

"As me. I accidentally let it slip that I had a fake ID and documents so I could get inside the prison and… well, when the guard came after me I needed a little help getting out. They weren't happy, but I'd do it again. Mr. Goodall wasn't being fair. Mrs. Goodall needed to break away from him and Emma… Emma never needed him. It wasn't fair he was holding on to them. It wasn't fair he was trying to keep alive a marriage that had been broken for years. He needed someone to set him straight, and I knew how to do that. But no one would have let me if…"

"Why? Mr. Goodall is in jail, Gia. Prison, actually. That isn't a place seventeen year olds should visit by themselves. Especially when the guy they want to visit tried to kill them."

"He couldn't have done anything."

"Gia, the guard finding out you were under age with fake documents is the least of my worries. He'd have probably just called your parents, you'd have gotten a real good talking to… what's really scary is you went, without telling anyone, to see the man who tried to kill you."

Gia pulled her knees to her chest.

Serena continued, "You know what was scary this time? Vrak and his obsessive need to try and break you. What would have happened to you if Robo-Knight hadn't come after you? What if Gosei couldn't bail you out this time? What if Gosei couldn't bail you out when you went to visit the prison?"

"I'd be in a lot of trouble?"

"A world of trouble. Vrak could have taken you, and your morpher today. Worse, he could have killed you! You wouldn't have done a thing to help Dr. Oliver and you'd had cost your team a Ranger and a friend."

"Serena…"

"That's what I want to show you," Serena said. "That's why I've taken you out here. I've learned a lot of lessons as a Ranger, and every time I screwed up, I learned a little more about why I should just leave shit alone and ask for help from my team when I need it. But I learned my biggest lesson when I saw for myself how stupid and selfish I was being by trying to protect them."

"What are you going to do?" Gia asked.

"I made a symbol once. It was supposed to undo all the things I've screwed up for my sister. It was supposed to give her a better life. Turns out, the life she's living right now is the best thing for her, and it's where she's happiest. When I tried to protect her, I only ended up making things worse. I want you to see that even though you have good intentions, bad things can happen."

"Is this going to hurt?"

"Oh yeah," Serena nodded her head and lifted her Samuraizer. "But it might be exactly what you need. I know you want to protect your friends and your family, but if you don't stop and think about the dangers to yourself, and what that could mean for the people you leave behind, this is what's going to happen."

"Wait, are you going to…"

"Kill you, yeah," Serena chuckled and traced a Symbol. Gia winced and shielded her face with her arms as the Symbol came at her and struck her. Everything faded to black for her as she slumped over and fell to the ground. Serena got up and rolled her over carefully on her back. "You're a smart kid. I know you'll figure this out."

_Author's Note: New guesses from this point on need to be a lot more accurate because this chapter all but gives away what Serena's going to do. Also, this is the last chapter to make a guess, so make it count!_

_Also, the holiday is over, but my shoulder injury has returned and with a vengeance. I need to rest it so updates will continue to be slow. I have no idea how long it will take to heal, nor do I have any idea when I will be able to return to a regular updating/writing routine. I thank you all for your patience and your support means a lot to me!_


	45. The Future Without Gia Part I

After being hit by Serena's Symbol, Gia felt sick for a moment. She was lost somewhere in the darkness but could feel herself moving around. Suddenly she was dropped and finally she was somewhere familiar. She was at Troy's house, right in his front hallway. She groaned and held her head as she picked herself up.

"Not what I was expecting," she muttered. Suddenly, the front door opened and Troy staggered into the house. His clothes were torn, he was covered in blood; he looked like he had just come from a bad fight. He dropped his morpher and fell against the wall. Gia rushed over to him to help him stand but when she reached out to grab him her hands passed through him.

"Troy?" she called his name and reached for him again but she couldn't touch or help him. Then she remembered what Serena said. She was dead.

"Troy!" Rebecca cried out as she raced down from the top of the stairs and she managed to help Troy walk to the kitchen. She sat him down on a chair and pulled out the first aid kit from under the sink to start treating him. Gia watched from a little ways off. Already she knew there was nothing she could do.

"My parents…"

"Still at work. I have time to clean you up," Rebecca answered her brother and started to dab at the blood dripping down his face. "What the hell, Troy, you promised you'd stop this."

"My team was there."

"Yeah, right," Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Jake was just texting me asking if you and I wanted to join him and Noah at the Brainfreeze."

"Rebecca, it was nothing I couldn't handle."

"Oh, is that what all this blood means?" Rebecca let a few of the bloodied tissues fall to the floor. "Troy, you have to let them help…"

"I can't, Rebecca."

"You'd rather let yourself get killed!"

"It's better than losing one of them!" Troy shouted and banged his fist against the table. Rebecca winced and looked to the stairs.

"Ryan just went down for her nap."

"Sorry," Troy muttered.

"You can't keep doing this, Troy. I know you think you have to, but…"

"I'm the red Ranger, Rebecca. I'm the leader, and as leader…"

"As leader, you're supposed to lead a team!" Rebecca growled at him. "What good are you as a leader if you get yourself killed?"

"What good am I if I let anything happen to my team?"

"Troy, let it go."

"I can't let it go, Rebecca! I should have stopped her. I should have made a better call."

"Yeah, like anything would have stopped her."

"I'm supposed to keep the team safe. I'm supposed to make the calls that are going to keep them all alive."

"You did! She just wouldn't listen," Rebecca started to wrap the bandage around Troy's head. "You don't have to do this, Troy. You don't have to protect the others. They're Rangers too, and when Vrak attacks, you need their help."

"I've lost one Ranger…"

"You lost a friend," Rebecca shook her head. "You're… you're grieving, Troy. You're blaming yourself for what happened. Gia made her decision. She knew what she was doing. She knew the risks. You can't keep punishing yourself like this. You're going to get yourself killed."

Rebecca was teary eyed as she looked down at her older brother, "Troy, you're being stupid. You've got a whole team around you, ready and willing to fight. You… you can't do this by yourself. We can't lose you too."

"I'm sorry, Rebecca. The safety of my team is…"

"You're going to get yourself killed! And then what?" Rebecca asked him. "How are you going to protect the others if you're dead?"

Troy got up and though his sister hadn't finished nursing him, he walked away. Rebecca watched him go and then looked at the pile of bloodied tissues on the floor around the chair. She tried not to cry as she started to clean them up. Then she heard a noise from the hallway. Gia watched as she started to run.

Rebecca picked up Troy's morpher from the floor before he could reach it and she put it behind her back. Troy came down the stairs, saw his sister was holding his morpher and held his hand out.

"Rebecca…"

"You're hurt," she shook her head. "Jake and Noah can do this one."

"No! It's probably Vrak…"

"They can handle it! You can't! Go to bed. I'll let you know if they run into trouble."

"Rebecca, I have a responsibility…"

"Troy, please!"

Troy walked up to his sister and grabbed her. She tried to fight him off so he couldn't take the morpher but he was still stronger. He ripped it from her hands and pushed her to the ground before taking off. Rebecca didn't even try getting up. She pulled her knees to her chest, buried her face, and sobbed loudly.

"It's because of you," Gia heard a voice behind her and turned around. She saw little Ryan coming down the stairs and she was looking right at her. Rebecca didn't see to hear the little girl so Gia assumed she was talking to her.

"You see me?"

"Troy's been like this since you died. Vrak attacked your family and you had enough of it. The others told you to wait until they had a plan but you decided you couldn't risk it. You snuck away, and actually, you won. You protected your family, scared Vrak away, but you paid the ultimate price."

"But they're okay?"

"Does this look okay?" Ryan pointed to Rebecca who was sobbing hysterically on the floor. "She's been trying to stop Troy for a year now. When you died, he felt he let you down. He is the leader after all. He thinks that means it's his job to protect you. Now, he's so scared of the other getting hurt, he refuses to let them fight. He doesn't let them fight. If he can, he doesn't even let them know there's an attack in the city. He thinks if someone's going to die, it should be him."

"But… that's stupid."

"Is that what you thought? You'd rather get hurt or be killed than let anything happen to the people you care about?"

"What do you know?" Gia rolled her eyes and then pointed to Ryan's diaper, "You still shit yourself."

"I'm right," Ryan said. "So I'll ask you again, does this look okay?"

Gia shook her head. Ryan took her hand.

"I want to show you something else. You've seen what you've done to Troy, but he's not the worse."

Everything around Gia suddenly disappeared. She was surrounded by darkness for a minute before her surroundings reappeared, only this time they were different. She looked around and noticed she was in a garage.

"We're a few years later," Ryan explained as she let go of Gia's hand. "This is Noah's house."

"It looks like a lab."

"It is a lab," Ryan said. She pointed to a corner. Gia saw Noah slumped at a desk, completely passed out. "He's graduated high school. Actually, he's a graduate at several universities already."

"Several?"

"I did say we were a few years into the future," Ryan nodded her head.

"Yeah, I few, not…"

"Noah's a genius," Ryan looked up at Gia. "If he applied himself, he could change the world."

"Is that what he's doing?"

"In a way. He's studying time."

"What?"

"He's trying to find a way to manipulate it. He wants to go back and stop you from getting killed."

"Like when Vrak…"

"It's nothing like when Vrak sent you to the future and you died. You were saved. You never really died. Now you really are dead. Everything is different. Noah feels like nothing is good anymore. Troy's still behaving recklessly, and it hasn't killed him yet, but it will."

"They still haven't destroyed Vrak?"

"Troy still hasn't destroyed Vrak. He's completely alienated himself from his team. He never lets them fight anymore. He's taking it solely upon himself. As you can see, that's not really working out for him. Really, it's only a matter of time before he loses."

"So why doesn't Noah try to help?"

"Troy stubborn. He won't let him. Noah's trying to keep all this from happening. He's trying to create a machine that'll bring you back. He thinks he's changed the future once, he can do it again. He's convinced all this is just temporary, and he'll find a way to go back, stop you from getting killed, and everything will work out."

"Will he?"

"He won't. You can," Ryan looked up at Gia. "Noah's got an amazing mind. He could cure diseases with some of the technology he could create. Cancer would be a thing of the past by now if Noah put all this energy into his passion instead of…"

"Into trying to fix my mistake?"

"He really cares about his friends," Ryan said. "You know what he's like. He's always got some helpful advice ready. He's always willing to lend an ear. He knows he's not strong enough to protect anyone, so he uses what he has to help out. He can't stop Troy, so he's going to try and make it so that he never has to."

"All this, just because of me?"

"What do you mean all this?" Ryan asked and looked up at Gia, "We're just in the bad stages. You were only friends with Troy and Noah. I mean, alright, this is pretty crappy, but we haven't even seen what happened to the people who really care about you. Trust me; you're not going to like it."

"Seriously, Ryan. All this…"

"Yeah," Ryan nodded her head. "All this because you wanted to protect the people you cared about. All this because you… because you were reckless. Now, want to see what's become of Jake?"

"If this is what happened to Noah and Troy… I guess not."

"Well, we're going to anyways."

_Author's Note: A lot of guesses, and a lot of winners! Before I announce the winners, I want to say what I was judging a win on. Prior to chapter 44 being posted, the winning answer had to be somewhere along the lines of: "What if Gia wasn't a Ranger". After chapter 44 was posting, the winning answer needed to be a lot more specific, and the acceptable answer needed to look like this: "What would happen to the team after Gia got herself killed in a battle"._

_So, winners for the deleted scene are: _**Eternal-Cry16**_, _**Angele Fall**_, _**AuriaFlares**_, _**GummyBearStyle**_, and _**KLR**_. Congratulations!_

**El Cheque1**_ gets a mention as being a winner as well. Unfortunately, as I have stated many times, I cannot send deleted scenes or documents to anonymous reviewers. However, you still deserve congratulations and thank you for participating anyways!_

_Winners for the preview of chapter 56 (Pinky Promise) are _**Darien Fawkes **_and _**yellowin65**_! Congratulations!_

_I had to make a few judgement calls based on some answers. If you feel you should have won, politely __**PM**__ me with your reasons why. If that changes my judgement based on the acceptable answers, I'll send you the deleted scene or preview. If it doesn't, I'll explain my reasons why. PMs that are not polite or respectful will not be answered and those people will be banned from participating in contests in the future._

_Thank you to all my reviewers and everyone who participated in this little contest! I loved seeing all your ideas and getting feedback from you about my work and I hope to hear from you in the future so we can do this again!_


	46. The Future Without Gia Part II

Gia left Noah's garage and found herself in a cemetery. Her heart sunk instantly as she looked down at Ryan. The little girl let go of her hand and pointed to a plaque on the ground.

"There's Jake," she pointed to the spot next to him. "By the way, there's you."

"No…" Gia shook her head and sunk to her knees "How did… what… but he…"

"It was between your visit to Troy and your visit with Noah," Ryan explained. "Jake took your death pretty hard. You know, he really loves you."

"What happened?" Gia asked and touched the ground.

"Noah stayed by his side for the first couple of years after you died. He gave Jake some time to cope, but Jake couldn't move on. He was so angry over what happened… he decided he would challenge Vrak. He thought he would kill him for what he did to you. He thought he would avenge your death. He did exactly what you did. He went in alone."

"You idiot," Gia looked down at the ground. Ryan looked like she wanted to say something but shook her head and instead continued to explain what happened to Gia.

"Vrak was way too strong. He got Jake where he wanted him and then decided to have a little fun. He didn't get that chance with you, and even though he did kill you, you humiliated him. Vrak tortured him. Vrak's still torturing him, actually. You've got to give the alien bastard some credit. He knows how to make it hurt."

"You mean Jake's…"

"Everyone here thinks he's dead. There was no body to bury, but he's been missing for so long his dad just assumed the worst. Troy and Noah figured Vrak wouldn't waste his time and destroyed him. Everyone thinks he's gone. He's still in Vrak's lair. Vrak won't let him die. He won't let you two be reunited. He wants Jake to suffer the way you would have suffered if he ever got the chance to hurt you."

Gia felt a pain in her chest as she looked down at Jake's grave. He had always been the best to her. He had been patient, kind, and understanding, even when she tried to push him away. Though she was working on not feeling this way, she always felt he deserved better than her. She always knew he could do better. Why he decided to settle on her, she would never know but she was always grateful. He changed her life. He made her feel good about herself. He showed her that not all guys were bad, and that there were people in the world who would genuinely like her and want to be with her.

But now, because of her, because of what she had done, he had to suffer. He didn't deserve this pain. He didn't deserve to live like this. He deserved so much better. He deserved to be safe and happy.

"Ryan…"

"You're dead. You're not around to protect him anymore. There's nothing you can do to help him," Ryan said. "I'd… I'd have taken you to see him, so you could really see what's happened to him but… it's too bad."

"No, I…"

"Trust me, Gia. I'm not just being a baby about this. It's really just too bad for anyone to have to see."

Gia touched Jake's plaque as her eyes watered, "I'm so sorry."

"By the way," Ryan said, "Over there, that's your mother."

Gia looked up. She saw no one standing before her. She stood and walked to the place above her and Jake. She looked down at the plaque and saw her mother's name.

"They say she died of a broken heart," Ryan explained. "She's already had enough to deal with after your father died. You probably know better than anyone how much she loved him. If it wasn't for you, she wouldn't have lived as long as she had."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know the lesson we're trying to teach you?" Ryan asked. "Your mother embodied it. Since your father died, do you think she really cared about what happens to her? Do you think she really wants to wake up every day in an empty bed? She's missing half her heart because the love of her life is dead. Right now, I'm sure you know how that feels."

Gia gulped, nodded her head, and looked back at Jake's grave.

"But mom…"

"She'd do anything to protect you, Gia. It's not even a question of if she could. She wants to protect you from everything. She wants to protect you from Vrak. You know what's stopping her from standing between you and him?"

"What?"

"What'll happen to you if she's gone? She would fight Vrak with her bare hands to protect you. In your present time, right now, she wants nothing more than to stand in your defense against him and do whatever she had to to protect you. Even if it kills her."

"But she wouldn't."

"She would," Ryan nodded. "I mean, if it's your life or hers, it's really no contest for her. She knows you'll have people who will take care of you. Mrs. Goodall's really stepping up. Emma wouldn't let anything happen to you. She knows, if she has to make a tough decision, it's going to be her."

"But I don't… If anything happened to mom…"

"You wouldn't know what to do with yourself?" Ryan asked. "If she just decided one day she was going to challenge Vrak without any way to protect herself, without a team that has her back, and without any regard to her own safety and well-being, how would you feel?"

Ryan reached out and took Gia's hand again, "Your mother would do anything for you, but she knows the best thing she can do is stand back. She knows the best way to keep you safe is by being around. If anything happens to her, she can't protect you anymore. How is she going to stop Vrak from hurting you, from breaking you down, if she's not alive anymore? Your mother wakes up every day just to take care of you. Just so you can have a better life, and a safe, and happy home. You're her entire world now, and she won't even let you know that because it's too much responsibility. She's carrying everything on her shoulders, and she's doing it all for you."

"But she… that's…"

"She loves you," Ryan smiled at Gia. "You're so lucky to have a mother who cares so much about you. A mother who just wants the very best for you and will do everything she can for that to happen. If anything happened to you, especially if you let it, especially if you throw your life away, what does she have to live for?"

"I guess… I let a lot of people down," Gia said. "I… I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm not… I'm not trying to die. I don't want to. I just… I don't like…"

"You know what it's like to be hurt," Ryan said. "You don't want anyone else to suffer like that. That's a good thing, Gia, but it's a lot more complicated than that. You need to think about what you're doing. You need to think about your team."

"I try."

"Gosei doesn't want to punish you. He wants to keep you safe. He wants to keep the team safe. Your friends weren't trying to stop you because they didn't care what happened to Dr. Oliver. They do. They feel just as guilty for what happened as you did. They wanted to stop you because… because they're scared of losing you."

"I know."

"But you didn't listen. You're a strong, independent, caring person, Gia. You're going to do great things, I know you will. You just… you need to be careful. You need to know that sometimes the smartest thing to do is wait."

Gia sighed and nodded her head. Then she looked around, "Wait… I've learned my lesson. I know I was stupid and I promise, I'm going to be careful about taking on Vrak but… what about Emma? I've seen the others but you never mentioned…"

"You died, she disappeared. No one knows where she went. Vrak can't even find her. She blames herself, I think. She doesn't even know what happened to your mother."

"Emma just…"

"Gone," Ryan nodded. "No one's seen her. No one's heard from her."

"And you don't know what happened?"

"Nope."

"Jordan?"

"Nope."

"Mrs. Goodall?"

"Nope."

"No one knows where she is or what happened?"

"Nope. You died. She tried to bring you back, but when she knew, she knew. She ran off in tears and no one's seen her since."

"No one went after her?"

"You've seen what happened to them."

"How do I go home? How do I stop this? Troy's going to get himself killed, Noah's wasting away, Jake's being tortured, mom's dead, and Emma's gone. I get it, Ryan, this sucks. I can't protect them if I'm not around to protect them. I can't let Vrak control me. I can't let my anger for him force me to do something stupid like try and fight him alone. I have powers, but that doesn't mean I can use them however I want. I get it. I want to go home. I want to stop this!"

"Gia…"

"I want to go home!"

"Close your eyes."


	47. Lesson Learned

When Gia opened her eyes she found herself staring up at the leaves on the tree, which masked the sky. She blinked as the sun shined on her face and groaned as she slowly sat up.

"What happened?"

"I killed you," Serena answered her and Gia turned around to see the former white Ranger sitting by a fire. "The Symbol was supposed to show you what would happen were you to die a stupid death. You know, like recklessly running away from your friends to challenge Vrak who has a former Ranger, maybe even one of the best Rangers ever, as a pet. Did you learn a lesson?"

Gia nodded her head. She saw the rock she had been sitting on before she passed out and took her place back on it. She rubbed her head a little more. Serena noticed and chuckled.

"It takes a minute for the weird feeling to fade," she offered Gia a plate with fruits and meat. Gia looked to it and then looked around.

"What is this?"

"Pesky squirrel kept coming around," Serena smirked as she answered, "I gave it a warning but it wouldn't listen. That'll show him to stay away from my dead Rangers."

"And I thought Emma's version of meat was bad," Gia frowned and poked the food. Serena chuckled.

"It's beef. Relax. I stole it from the fridge at home."

"What?"

"Symbol Power is almost like magic," Serena chuckled. "So, what'd you see?"

"It's bad."

"Your friends care about you."

"Too much, maybe," Gia said. "Troy takes on the Ranger responsibilities by himself. He doesn't want what happened to me to happen again. For some reason, he thinks it's his fault."

"He takes after Jayden," Serena sighed and shook her head. "It's a red thing. I mean, just because we put you in the red spandex, that doesn't mean the world revolves around you. People can be stupid on their own."

"Noah's wasting his entire life trying to fix my mistake," Gia said. "He thinks he can find a way to go back in time or bring me back or… something."

"I always thought he'd focus on curing cancer or changing the world," Serena chimed in.

Gia continued, "Jake… He did exactly as I did. He was so… struck with grief… he went after Vrak."

"Are you crying?" Serena asked when she heard Gia hesitate. Gia kept her head and eyes down on her plate and shook her head. Serena moved her rock so she could sit next to the yellow Ranger and hold her. "Was it bad?"

"He's… he's being tortured. Vrak won't let him die just for the hell of it. Serena… I… Jake's been so good to me and… this is what I do to him?"

"Hey, Gia, that's not happening," Serena shook her head and tried to get Gia to look at her, "That's what we're trying to prevent, remember? That's why I killed you now."

"Could that really happen? That future… you exaggerated it to make a point, didn't you?"

"I wish I did," Serena said. "Honestly, it's not fun losing someone you care about. You should know that. Things change, Gia. People are hurt. You start acting out. You find yourself doing a lot of things you know you shouldn't be doing. Either you start to hold on really tight to what you have left, or you push them away because you're scared of losing again."

"I can't let Vrak hurt my family or my team," Gia said. "If… If I do what I just did… he's the one who gets the last laugh, isn't he? I mean, I beat him. Right before I died… he threatened my family and I put a stop to it but… I kept them safe, but it wasn't enough. I got myself killed and everything just went downhill from there. Troy blames himself, Noah's wasting his life because of me. Jake's being tortured… the family I tried to protect is gone."

"Where?"

"Mom died," Gia answered softly. "Apparently, after losing me, she had nothing left to live for. Dad's already gone and… the only reason she's still here is me."

"Your mother does love you," Serena nodded her head and chuckled. "You're really lucky, Gia."

"I guess, the way I feel about my friends is the way they feel about me. I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to them. If they did what I did, I'd try to stop them. I want to kill Vrak. I want to help Dr. Oliver, but I'm not going to be able to help or protect anyone if I'm dead."

"So you learned something?"

"The hard way," Gia said. "But I guess I'm so stubborn, that's the only way I learn."

"Yeah, me too," Serena smiled. "You know, when I tried to give Emily a better life, she had to be abused and nearly died twice before I realized what I wanted for her was exactly what she already had. Dekker had to kidnap me and lock me in a room, completely isolated from my family and the world for me to realize he was nothing but a jackass. And this is after I already knew he wanted to kill Jayden and would, gladly go through my friends and my little sister to do so."

"Do you think Gosei's going to let me be the yellow Ranger again?"

"I think he's going to have to. I doubt he'll be able to find a better one. Even with all your… quirks."

Gia chuckled, "I promise, I'll be better…"

"Gia, you're already a great Ranger," Serena gently hugged the younger girl. "We just did this… Gosei did this because he doesn't want to see anything happen to you. His facial expression might not change, but the guy does care about you."

"Robo-Knight might care too," Gia said and turned to Serena, "Back when… well, you know, I think we had a moment."

"With a robot?"

"He bandaged me," Gia said and pointed to her arm, "He tried to cheer me up. He told me Vrak was only coming after me because I intimidate him."

"Maybe you do."

"Do you think I'm being crazy?"

"Yes," Serena nodded her head. Then she got up and offered her hand to Gia, "Now come on. Let's go tell the tiki face who gave you super powers that you died, learned your lesson, and you're ready to keep fighting the aliens and mutants that want to take over the world."

Gia took Serena's hand, "Thanks."

-Megaforce-

In the command center, Gia felt like a little girl waiting for her parents to scold her as she wrapped up to Gosei about what she had taken from Serena's lesson. Gosei left a silence once she finished as he contemplated what she told him. This wasn't a decision to be made lightly. He knew how easy it was for Gia to say something and then break her word later once he returned his powers to her.

"And should I refuse?" he finally spoke. "If I find this isn't enough. If I pass on the responsibilities of yellow Ranger to someone else. If I strip you of your Ranger suit, your weapons, your Zord…"

"You can't stop me helping," Gia answered Gosei and Serena winced behind her. She was sure Gosei was trying to trick her and Gia was failing. However, Gia wasn't done speaking. "I know my friends are wrapped up in all this. My best friend and my boyfriend are still Rangers. I'll help out where I can. But… I'd stay out of fights. I can't defend myself without my team and my powers to back me up. For some reason, you guys all still want me alive and I'd not be doing anyone any favours by risking my life needlessly. But Gosei, please reconsider…"

"I have," Gosei said and suddenly her morpher appeared in front of her. Gia reached out and took it with a smile. She looked up at Gosei.

"Thank you."

"You have no reason to thank me," Gosei answered. "You were my first choice for the yellow Ranger. You were the only choice for yellow Ranger. Thank you for not disappointing me."

"I won't," Gia smiled and just as she was about to turn away he called her back. She looked up at him, "Yeah?"

"I've complete work on your temporary suits," Gosei said and four new morphers appeared in her hands. "I will remind you; these suits are nowhere near as powerful and resilient as your regular suits. You will need to approach all future battles with caution."

"There's only four here," Gia looked to the new morphers and then back up at Gosei.

"Why would I make one for you?" he asked. "You have your morpher."

"I can use it?" Gia asked. "I thought you wanted to keep it hidden so Vrak wouldn't get it."

"I trust you."

"I won't let you down," Gia said. She placed the morphers in her bag and turned around to smile at Serena. The white Ranger opened her arms and hugged her warmly.

"I knew you'd do it," she kissed the side of Gia's head. "C'mon, I'm sure the others are waiting to hear from you."

Gia nodded and started to make her way out. Serena was about to follow but then glanced over her shoulder at Gosei. She told Gia to go on ahead without her and walked back over to the Megaforce Rangers' mentor. She tapped his face to be sure he was still around.

"Yes?"

"Come on. I do something absolutely right for a change and I get nothing?" Serena smirked teasingly and crossed her arms over her chest. "You were about to throw away a perfectly good yellow Ranger and I cleaned her up. Face it, if it weren't for me, you'd be down a Ranger."

"Thank you, Serena."

"Believe in her, Gosei."

"I do. No search was started for a new Ranger."

"Keep it that way. It's not often you find a team like this. You can't just break that up."

"Thank you, Serena."

Serena nodded her head, and just as she was about to leave again a thought occurred to her. She turned back to Gosei and growled, "By the way, if you ever scold and humiliate an already emotionally sensitive Gia again I will…"

Serena didn't get to finish. The next thing she knew she was on a beach. She looked around in confusion before spotting Gia staring back at her with the same confusion. Then Gia started to laugh.

"You threatened Gosei, didn't you?"

"I didn't get to," Serena frowned. "What the hell?"

"He does that now," Gia nodded her head. "He's already banned my mom from the command center, and he teleported Mrs. Goodall away when she tried yelling at him. He doesn't like it."

"Well," Serena took out her Samuraizer, "He's not the only one who can teleport…"

Gia put her hand on Serena's Samuraizer, "Relax, it all worked out for the best, right? Besides, we have temporary morphers to deliver, and I have friends to apologize to. And a mother to talk to. And a question for my best friend."

"Shoot."

"I meant Emma," Gia chuckled and playfully shoved Serena.

"Well, I'm hurt, but you're forgiven," Serena teased. "Seriously, though, what's the question?"

"Where she'd go."

"Where she'd go…?"

"Where she'd go if I died. I knew what happened to everyone except Emma. She just disappeared. It's like she walked off the face of the Earth. I want to know."

"Why?" Serena asked. "If you died, it's not like you'd be able to go out and look for her?"

"I just want to know. Wouldn't you?"

"I do, because I'd still be alive to find her."

Gia shoved her playfully and then started to walk ahead. Serena had to jog to catch up.


	48. Gia's Apologies

Dropping off the first two morphers to Troy and Noah had been fairly straightforward. Gia explained the lesson Serena put her through as well as what she had learned from it. She then apologized to the boys for running off after Vrak on her own and ignoring their warnings for her to stop and wait for the rest of them. Both Troy and Noah were quick to accept her apologies and told her the only thing that matter was that she was okay and they were glad Gosei would keep her on the team.

When she got to Jake's house, she hesitated to tell him about the lesson. She didn't want to go over again what had happened to him. She barely managed to choke out the words when Jake took her into his arms and held her.

"Vrak wasn't the one making me suffer," he told her which only made her start to sob a little harder. "But you've learned from it. That's not going to happen. You're back, you have your powers, we're going to keep each other safe."

"No matter what happens to me," Gia said, "Don't you ever, _ever,_ go after Vrak on your own."

"You too," Jake pulled her in for a soft kiss and then took his morpher from her hands. He could see she was still upset but there was nothing he could for her anymore except hold her again and tell her everything would work out for the best as long as she remembered what she learned. After a few moments Serena had to interrupt. It was getting late and she didn't want to bring Gia home after dark, especially when there was still so much to talk about with Emma and her mother.

"We're training with Kevin and Mia in the woods tomorrow," Jake said, though he was sure Gia would hear about it once she got home. "I promise to try a little harder with the meditation stuff so Vrak can't hurt me even if he tries."

He knew that would calm Gia down a little bit, and it did. She smiled at him, kissed him again, and then left for home with Serena.

When they were home, it was nothing like Gia expected. Her mother got up from the couch and stormed off to her room, slamming the door as she disappeared. Emma, Mrs. Goodall said, was already hiding out in her bedroom. Only Mrs. Goodall, Kevin, Mia and the kids were ready to greet her, though Riley only said a quick hello and then ran upstairs, while Jesse closed his eyes for another nap.

"So how did it go?" Kevin and Mia pulled Serena aside while Mrs. Goodall listened to Gia tell her about the lesson. Serena looked to her teammates with a little smile.

"She's a quick study. As soon as we left the command center she and I talked. She knew right away what she did wrong."

"You always said she was smart," Mia nodded her head.

"She learns faster than you did," Kevin teased Serena. The white Ranger rolled her eyes.

"She got the message that she actually needs to be around if she wants to keep looking after her friends," Serena said. "She still wants to see Vrak go down. I think we all do, but she'd rather he not have the last laugh. It's kind of like what we always told each other. You can't protect someone if you're dead."

"Like we told you," Mia smirked as she teased Serena. "You're probably the one who ran into trouble the most."

"Shut up. My experience makes me the best mentor for these new kids, so take that," Serena stuck out her tongue. Mia was about to respond with something equally childish but was stopped when she heard a grunt from the stairs that sounded a lot like Riley. When the three Samurai looked up, they saw the little girl pushing Emma on her desk chair down the hallway.

"She's home, Emma, just talk to her," Riley said to the pink Ranger. "You don't have to be scared anymore. Power Rangers don't not become Rangers. The scary picture can't take her powers away."

"Riley, the stairs!" Kevin shouted when he saw Riley was pushing Emma's chair a little too close to the stairs and both risked tumbling down. Emma, though stood up at the top of the stairs and grabbed Riley's arm. The chair wasn't too fortunate as it came crashing down.

"Whoops," Riley said as she watched the chair fall. "Too far."

Gia and Mrs. Goodall, hearing the crash, stepped into the hallway to investigate. Gia spotted Emma and reached into her bag.

"Gosei finished the morphers."

"I don't care," Emma turned away and started to walk back to her room by Riley grabbed her around the legs.

"Don't be stubborn."

Gia bit her lip and waited for Emma to listen to Riley and look back down the stairs. She smiled hopefully, "I learned my lesson."

"I know."

"I'm not running off after Vrak again. We'll get Dr. Oliver back as a team and once we have a plan. A good plan."

"I know."

"Emma…"

"What did Gosei say?"

Gia smirked as she realized what Emma wanted to hear, and was possibly scared to hear. Fortunately, she had good news. She set Emma's temporary morpher down and reached into her bag to pull out her real morpher, "I've got it back."

"Powers and all?"

"Do you really think I'm going to let you fight aliens and mutants alone? Of course, powers and all. This isn't just a toy."

Emma smiled then hurried down the stairs and hugged Gia tightly.

"I was worried Gosei would kick you off for good and you'd…"

"Ignore him? I promise, I won't do that. Powers or no, I'm helping, but I'm not doing anything stupid. I kind of have to be alive if I want to defeat Vrak, right?"

"If not he wins," Emma nodded her head. Gia smiled, hugged her best friend again, and then remembered she had something she wanted to ask. She pulled away.

"Em… Serena used a Symbol on me while we were gone. It killed me so…"

"What?" Emma shouted and turned to Serena. Gia held her back.

"Listen to the complete sentence," Gia chuckled. "The Symbol killed me to show me what the future would be like if I did something like this again and… well, died. I saw what all the others would do but you… disappeared."

"Where?"

"I thought you'd know," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "Ryan, my guide, didn't have an answer for me. She couldn't say whether you were dead or alive or…"

"I don't know where I'd go," Emma answered. "And don't you dare make me ever find out. It's probably not good, though."

Gia nodded her head and smiled as she pulled her best friend in for another hug.

"Um… Gia?" Riley called from the top of the stairs and started to make her way down slowly. "There's a weird noise coming from your mommy's room."

"You should talk with her," Mrs. Goodall said to Gia. "She's having a hard time with this."

Gia looked up the stairs nervously and then nodded her head. She knew she would have to face her mother. She wanted to have a talk with her. Her lesson with Serena hadn't just shown her what would happen after she died. She learned a lot about the way her mother cared for her. She always knew what she meant to her mother. Both her parents made sure she knew they cared about her and loved her from the time she was born.

But her mother had it together. Gia had seen her cry since her father's death, but rarely. She knew her mother was devastated. She knew her mother hadn't been the same since. She couldn't expect to have the same mother she had before her father died, it simply wasn't possible. Joe Moran had been a very important part of the family, and a very important person to her mother.

Gia knew all that. She knew her mother loved her father. She knew her mother missed her father. She knew that, now that her father was gone, her mother was even more terrified of something happening to her than before. But Gia never imagined it was to the point where, if she died, her mother would also die. She never imagined that, every day, her mother's only reason for getting out of bed, her only reason to keep going, was her.

She climbed the stairs and nervously she knocked on her mother's door. She was yelled at to leave but she didn't take it too personally. Her mother couldn't be certain it was her on the other side.

Despite being told where to go, Gia opened the door and stepped into her mother's bedroom. Her mother was on the bed, head in her hands. Gia took out her morpher.

"You're probably the only one who won't be happy to hear I'm still the yellow Ranger."

"Gia, get out."

"Mom, I…"

"I don't care, Gia," her mother shook her head. "What difference does it make if you have your powers back or not? Get out. Leave me alone."

Gia wouldn't leave.

"If it means anything…"

"Gia, you are this close to pushing me to my breaking point," Mrs. Moran growled and held her fingers millimeters apart to prove her point. "If you know what's good for you…"

"That's what I wanted to tell you," Gia said. "Serena put me through a lesson and…"

"I don't care, Gia!" her mother shouted and jumped up from the bed. "What you did the other day…"

"Mom…"

"I gave birth to you, Gia! I raised you! I took you to the doctor when you were sick. I help you with homeword! I've invested the last seventeen years of my life entirely to you, and this is what I get?"

Gia bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears by reminding herself of what she had been told in her lesson. Her mother cared, she was just angry.

"You've taken everything I've done, everything everyone's ever done for you, and you throw it away? For what? What were you possibly thinking? Or maybe I was missing something. For seventeen years I thought I somehow made this daughter with such a beautiful mind that she would accomplish so many amazing things. Was I wrong? Am I just blind? Don't tell me you're actually so stupid you're going to throw away everything you have and run into a battle against a super powered alien who has it out for you!"

Gia clenched her fists. Her mother was angry. She kept reminding herself her mother was just angry.

"I'm not going to do it again," Gia said and wished she hadn't said anything. She didn't want to cry in front of her mother. She was the one in the wrong. She had no right to cry. Her voice betrayed her, though. She cleared her throat, to pretend she just had something caught that changed her tone.

Mrs. Moran shook her head and turned away from Gia. She stormed into the ensuite. Gia tried going after her but the door was locked. She knocked once and her mother answered with a loud pound.

"Go away!"

"Mom, I'm sorry," Gia said and decided she would take advantage of the fact that her mother locked herself into a corner to talk to her. "I… just didn't think my plan through. I just wanted to stop Vrak and I set my sights on that. I kind of ignored everything else."

Gia looked up at the doorknob and wondered if maybe there was a way she could get inside. She got up and started to look around her mother's room for something she could use.

"I wasn't trying to be stupid. I wasn't trying to hurt anyone, especially you. I know you don't like that I'm a Ranger. I know you don't like that I have to be in danger. That alone has to be hard enough. To know Vrak's picking on me too, and I'm letting him control me like that… I know that upsets you and I'm sorry."

Gia found one of her mother's hairpins and decided to try that. She walked back to the door and tried to silently work the lock as she continued to explain herself to her mother.

"Serena taught me a lesson. While we were away she used a Symbol on me. It's really hard to explain, but I went to a future where I did something exactly like this and I got myself killed. I saw what happened to my friends, to Jake, to Emma, and to you and I didn't like it. I don't want that to happen, mom. I honestly don't care what happens to me as long as you guys are safe, but I don't want to leave you guys in such… misery. Especially over something so stupid. Trying to save Dr. Oliver by myself was stupid, selfish, irresponsible and reckless. I scared you, I know I did, and I'm really sorry I did. I promise, mom, I'm not going to do it again."

She got the lock to give and opened the door. She saw her mother sobbing on the bathroom floor and sat down beside her. Almost instantly, her mother took her in her arms and held her tight. Gia wrapped her arms around her mother.

"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean to scare you. I can't say I won't ever put myself in danger again, but I promise it's not going to be something stupid like running off. My life is important to me and I know I'm important to you. For some reason, despite being a pain in the ass, you still want me around."

Mrs. Moran nodded her head and pulled away from Gia. She took her daughter's face in her hands gently.

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Gia," she whispered through her tears and Gia had to fight to keep her own back. She knew what would happen. "Your father's already gone. I can't… I can't lose you too."

"I'm going to do all I can so that doesn't happen," Gia promised. "I want to beat Vrak, but I want to live to see the look on his face when I come out on top. So I'll fight him, but I'll make sure I have my team behind me. I'll make sure we've got a plan. I'll make sure I'm safe. There's only one future that I want to see come true and it involves all the people I care about staying alive, and me still being around."

Mrs. Moran finally managed to smile and kissed Gia's forehead. Then she remembered the bandage around her daughter's arm and gently reached for it. Gia winced when her mother started to unravel the bandage.

"Now you're just asking for a heart attack."

"I want to know what happened," Mrs. Moran said. "Did you face Vrak? What did he do?"

"Vrak and I met. He didn't stick around," Gia said. "Robo-Knight got to me before he turned up. If it makes you feel any better, I challenged Vrak with Robo-Knight by my side."

"You probably should have mentioned that earlier," Mrs. Moran said and then she winced when she saw the bite marks along her daughter's arm. She sighed and reached for the first aid kit under the sink. "Not that it would change the fact you still ran off on your own."

"I know," Gia nodded. She winced as her mother rubbed the disinfectant along her wounds. "Ow, mom…"

"I'm cleaning it out. I want you alive no matter what, but ideally you have all your limbs."

"It's not that bad."

"These look like bite marks, Gia. Now, Vrak's a big and scary monster to me, but even I know he's not that big."

Gia sighed, "Mom, not that I'm trying to justify running off by myself…"

"Because you were completely wrong and you'll never do something that stupid again, lest your poor mother suffer a heart attack from all the stress you've caused her."

"Yeah, that," Gia said. "I know what Vrak's done to Dr. Oliver. It could help us come up with the right plan to get him back."

"Dr. Oliver was there?"

"Vrak wanted a pet," Gia nodded her head. "I guess he's tired of wasting his own monsters on us. You remember how mutants kidnapped Emma and that's how we found out her dad wasn't her dad?"

"Yeah…" Mrs. Moran nodded her head hesitantly, unsure she wanted to know where her daughter was headed with this thought.

"Vrak used the information the mutants collected to… I guess change Dr. Oliver. He's now part human, part dragon."

"He…"

"There's no telling what the mutants and Vrak can do with the information they managed to gather. Dr. Oliver turned into a dragon. Vrak hinted that, if Dr. Oliver hadn't taken my place, I'd have been a tiger. Dr. Oliver bit my arm. He might not have control of what he's doing, but we know he's human. He's a friend. We can't destroy him like the other monsters."

"You certainly can't," Mrs. Moran shook her head. "You've got to turn him back."

"We've got to get him back first. Dragon or no."

"It's going to be dangerous, you're saying?"

"My team will help," Gia promised. "I'll tell them about Dr. Oliver. We'll come up with a way to bring him back."

Mrs. Moran nodded her head. She finished wrapping a new bandage around her daughter's arm and then kissed her again.

"Go to bed," she said to Gia. "You'll need rest for tomorrow. Mia and Kevin already made arrangements with Ms. Chesterfield to substitute for Dr. Oliver. Until he comes home, you'll be spending the school days training. It'll just have to look like a gym class."

"Jake will be happy," Gia said.

"I'll be in to check up on you later. I just need a little time to myself right now."

Gia nodded. She hugged her mother one more time before leaving to go to bed. It was getting late and she was rather tired. When she was gone, Mrs. Moran got to her feet. She cleaned up the bloodied bandaged, put away the first aid-kit and then stepped outside into her room. She sat on her bed and took a few deep breathes to keep calm. Then she heard a knock on the door.

"Vanessa?" Mrs. Goodall walked in. "Did you talk?"

"She's not just saying things I want to hear, right?"

"You know her better than I do," Mrs. Goodall sat next to her. "Is everything okay? I heard some yelling."

"Yeah, everything's fine. You know how I worry."

"There's really no quitting in motherhood, huh?" Mrs. Goodall chuckled. "No matter what, you've got to love that pain in the ass."

"No matter what," Mrs. Moran smiled. "Sometimes, I really wish Emma would rub off on her a little more."

"So did she talk about what happened?"

"Yeah. We also talked about that little bandaid she's sporting on her arm."

"Yeah? What happened?"

"My daughter was bit by a dragon human hybrid."

Mrs. Goodall frowned, looked to Mrs. Moran just to be sure she heard her right. When Mrs. Moran nodded she sighed, "Alright, even though I know about the Ranger stuff, can you lie to me sometimes?"

"No. If I have to know it, you do too."

"Seriously? How am I supposed to get used to the fact that Gia was bit by a dragon?"

"The same way you're supposed to get used to knowing that dragon was created when mutants kidnapped Emma to analyze her DNA."

"Wait? What?"

"You don't really think Gia just, one day, decided she would get a paternity test for Emma done, did you?"

"Mutants kidnapped my daughter! What did you tell me that time?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Moran shrugged, "Probably that the girls would be home late."

"So I thought she was hanging out with friends, meanwhile she was kidnapped?"

"Not a good feeling, is it?"

"No!"

Mrs. Moran hugged her best friend gently and then got up, "You can tell Serena that if she wants a night away from the couch, she can sleep in here. I think I'm going to spend the night with my daughter."

"I… I might also," Mrs. Goodall nodded her head in agreement and both left for their daughters' bedrooms.


	49. Substitute Teachers

School was a little different the following day for the Rangers. Dr. Oliver obviously wasn't around to teach but the Rangers needed to make an appearance in school every so often. Unfortunately, they weren't students who could easily blend in. Jake had at one time been the school's star soccer player, and while his reputation had taken a turn for the worst, student still had their eyes on him. Everyone knew Noah as the science wizard. Emma was the school's eco-girl, and Gia always had all eyes on her. Really, it was only Troy who could skip out on school, but even then, it wasn't worth someone noticing and asking too many questions.

So Ms. Chesterfield hired a substitute. Or rather, substitutes. Serena, Mia, and Kevin had volunteered to act as teachers in Dr. Oliver's place. They would be filling in until he was back home and ready to take over his classes again.

However, though the Rangers were in school, education needed to take a back seat. With Dr. Oliver in trouble, and the Rangers without their morphers, they needed to focus on coming up with a plan and finding the strength to rescue their teacher and stop Vrak. In other words, it was gym class all day and every day until Dr. Oliver was back.

Jake was happy. Or rather he would be if they did a little less meditation. Still, he stuck with it. He knew it was important to focus. They needed all the help and the strength they could get, and if the Samurai promised meditation would get them there, Jake was willing to do it.

It was long, but not as long as he expected before the first bell rang. He opened his eyes and looked around the room. He was a little sleepy but he felt better and more relaxed then earlier that morning. He almost didn't want the break these five minutes between classes would offer him. He was ready to move on to something new.

"What you're feeling," Serena said with a smile as she looked to him, "Is focus, drive, and energy. You'll need that to tap into your inner powers. Go for five minutes, stretch your legs, and then meet us out on the field."

Jake saw his friends were walking around the class. Troy, Noah, and Emma were joining up to talk about what they had just experienced. Jake was about to join them when he saw Gia leaving.

"Where are you going?"

"Chesterfield," Gia said and then reached into her bag, "I promised her I'd have a look at the play for the drama students."

"Oh, right," Jake nodded his head and let Gia go. Again, he was about to join his friends to talk about the meditation experience but he was stopped again, this time when a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Play for drama students?"

He turned around and saw it was Serena. He nodded his head.

"Gia's trying to warn the younger students about the dangers of high school. She teamed up with Rebecca to talk to them about relationships, drugs, pregnancy. You know, all that fun stuff."

"She has?"

"The drama kids are making a play based off what Gia and Rebecca told Ms. Chesterfield. Obviously, they're going to review it before hand."

"And Gia's ready for this?"

"She wants to help."

Serena smiled, "Atta girl."

-Megaforce-

Gia walked down the office to drop of the script with Ms. Chesterfield. She had been busy over the last few days, but she found it in her bag the night before and with her mother she looked over it. She liked what the drama students had done with the stories she told Ms. Chesterfield. Her message for students, especially girls, to be careful about what they were getting into was loud and clear, but the play didn't seem too preachy or boring. She hoped it would pass with the rest of the school.

"Gia?" Ms. Chesterfield heard a knock on her door and invited the yellow Ranger in, "I didn't think I'd see you so soon."

"The script," Gia put it on her desk. "I've reviewed it. It's pretty good."

"Any changes?"

"Not much. I've written down a few things, but it's more like suggestions. I'd be fine if the drama kids took it from here."

"And you're sure you want to do this?" Ms. Chesterfield asked. "You know, it's not too late to back out. If this is too much."

"I'm fine," Gia promised. "Just make sure my friends and I have tickets for opening night."

"You'll be first to know," Ms. Chesterfield nodded her head.


	50. Aunt Claire

Mrs. Goodall wasn't sure what to say when she came home that afternoon. She got to leave work early to attend her first meeting with a support group. Though she didn't like to think or talk about it she had to move past the night of Emma's conception. Somehow, Mr. Morris impregnated her, and whether or not she had consented to the act was a mystery to her, but it wouldn't get between her and her daughter. Emma seemed to want answers, and while Mrs. Goodall would do all she could to shield Emma from a bad answer; she owed it to her daughter to not let that night affect her.

She didn't say much at her first meeting. She spent most of the time listening to others. She was in a group with women and men who had been sexually or physically assaulted either by strangers or by people she cared about. When listening to their stories, Mrs. Goodall noticed a pattern that was quite similar to what she could remember of her own experience. At the same time, these people seemed much more emotionally damaged than she, and it didn't feel right to hurt as much as they did.

But when she did tell her story, people seemed interesting. One man, who had been verbally abused by his wife for over a decade until she died, pointed out that he thought Emma was right. He felt Mrs. Goodall had suppressed the memory until recently, but that while Emma was growing up, her subconscious knew the truth and wanted her to stay away from her daughter. It was certainly a better excuse than what she had for abandoning Emma, but Mrs. Goodall just wanted her excuse to be true.

Either way, she had a lot more questions about what happened now that she had gone to her first meeting. So when she came home, and Mrs. Moran asked her how her meeting had gone, she couldn't give an answer.

"I think I need more."

"If people were cured after a session, counsellors and psychologists would be out of job."

"Maybe that's why they always convince you to come back. Of all people, they would know how to trick you."

"As long as you're comfortable," Mrs. Moran smiled. The front door opened again and this time it was all the Rangers coming in at once.

"The baby's asleep. Riley's upstairs playing Samurai princess with her toys," Mrs. Moran announced to Kevin and Mia.

"Why is everyone here?" Mrs. Goodall asked.

"We're going to train some more," Troy said.

"Yeah, Gia just told us about dragon Dr. Oliver," Jake nodded his head. "Sounds pretty freaky to me."

"We just stopped by for some snacks," Gia said as she walked into the kitchen. "Then we're going to head out to the woods."

"And I wanted to get my camera," Emma smiled. "We'll be out until late tonight."

"Why?"

"There's the meteor shower," Emma turned to her mother. "I wanted to get some pictures."

"A meteor shower? You know, I've never seen one before."

"Want to come? We're going to the edge of town, on the cliffs that overlook the city. It's got an amazing view. Noah says we'll see everything from there."

"Yeah. I don't have any plans," Mrs. Goodall smiled warmly to her daughter and then turned to Mrs. Moran, "Vanessa?"

"Count me in. It should be fun," Mrs. Moran nodded her head. Jake grumbled under his breath. Noah nudged him.

"Don't be rude."

"Dude, my girlfriend's mother is going to be with us when we watch the meteor showers."

"So?"

"It's supposed to be romantic."

"Everyone else is going to be there anyways."

"Yeah… oh, what do you know, you're not a romantic."

Noah rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I've got my camera," Emma said as she came back down the stairs after going to her room to grab her camera. "Gia…"

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up," Gia grumbled as she stared into the fridge. "I've got to make water bottles."

All eyes turned to Emma. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Do you have any idea how many water bottles end up in landfills every year? Water from the tap is free and reusable bottles are better for the environment."

"They are also a bitch to fill when you've got a team and a half of thirsty Rangers," Gia muttered as she started to dig through the cupboards.

"We'll get set up, then. Keep your…"

"Morpher on me," Gia finished for Jake. "I know, I know."

As the Rangers filed out of the house, Mrs. Moran watched. Then she turned her attention to Mrs. Goodall, who seemed to be on her laptop already and from what Mrs. Moran could see on the screen, she was looking up more stories of people who had gone through what she had gone through the night Emma had been conceived. Then Mrs. Moran turned to Gia and a thought occurred to her. She remembered reading the script for the play the drama students at school had written, based off a suggestion Gia made to help the younger students be aware. She remembered Gia explaining to her she wanted to prevent or help students from suffering like she had.

"You know, Gia, I doubt we have enough reusable water bottles for everyone," Mrs. Moran said and walked to her purse, "I'll give you some money and you and Claire can go down to the store and pick up some more. You can even colour coordinate."

"We're going to have to," Gia muttered. "Unless Emma doesn't mind drinking out of the colander. I'll just grab a few extra things for tonight."

Gia hurriedly made her way upstairs, which gave Mrs. Goodall a chance to turn to her best friend and smirk.

"Vanessa, I can't go…"

"Look, instead of reading stories online of faceless people with sob stories, I'm going to let you use my daughter."

"Vanessa…"

"Claire, it helps when you're not alone. Gia wants to help people, and I think she'd be really good at it. If there's someone you want to talk to…"

"What Gia went through was…"

"Horrible. Disgusting. Degrading. Demoralizing. Humiliating."

"I'm not even going to compare what I went through to that," Mrs. Goodall shook her head.

"No one knows Mr. Morris like Gia would. She dated his son. Suffered at the hands of his son. Surely Cliff picked up a few tricks from the old man. Maybe she can shed a little light on what happened to you."

"She wasn't even born yet. How would she…?"

"Claire, stop making excuses," Mrs. Moran leaned against the table. She looked her best friend in the eyes. "Your daughter wants you to be okay."

"I'm trying. I'm really trying…"

"The first step is admitting you have a problem," Mrs. Moran said. "Now, we don't know what happened, but that night you were drunk, you felt sick, some stranger took you home and you woke up the following morning with no memory of what happened and completely naked and nine months later a baby came out of you. You were hurt. You have to accept that. Gia can help you."

"Gia and I aren't even friends," Mrs. Goodall shook her head. "You know I'd do anything for that girl, but we're not… I mean, I'd… she and I…"

"You abandoned her best friend growing up. I get it," Mrs. Moran said.

"It wouldn't be right asking her to help me with something like this. It'll be bringing up horrible memories for her, talking about uncomfortable things…"

"Do you think I liked hearing it?"

"Vanessa…"

"Claire, just once. Drive her to the store, pick up the water bottles, and then drive her up to the woods. If it gets too uncomfortable, just stop."

"You're not giving up on this, are you?"

"I want you to get the help you need," Mrs. Moran said. "And by doing this, you'll be helping Gia too. She wants to use what happened to her to help other people. Last night, she said if her play could help just one person, everything she suffered would be worth it."

"So now I have to be that person?"

"Can you please just try?"

"Vanessa…"

"Joe and I raised your daughter."

"One day, that's not going to work anymore," Mrs. Goodall sighed and got up from the chair. She walked to the hallway and saw Gia waiting by the door, "C'mon. Emma shouldn't have to drink from a colander."

"She's prefer it over a plastic bottle, given the choice," Gia rolled her eyes and followed Mrs. Goodall out the door.

They got to the car and it was silent. Gia had her back pack with her and on the way out to the car she took her mountain board from the garage. When Mrs. Goodall asked about it, Gia simply said between training and the meteor shower she was going to go for a ride.

When they got to the store, Mrs. Goodall grabbed a basket and they started to look around for the water bottles. As they made their way around, Mrs. Goodall knew she would have to say something or she would have to listen to Mrs. Moran nag her when she got home.

"Your mother says you're helping with a play at school."

"Yeah," Gia nodded her head and she found the water bottles. Mrs. Goodall was about to grab one but Gia shook her head. "You know Emma. It's got to be green."

Mrs. Goodall frowned and reached for a green coloured bottle. Gia chuckled and shook her head.

"That's not the green I meant. Just hold the basket; they've got them here somewhere."

Mrs. Goodall nodded her head and did as she was told, but continued talking.

"So the play… it's about Cliff?"

"Uh… yeah," Gia answered. "Not just Cliff. It's kind of a mix of what happened to Rebecca and me. The drama kids were seriously creative with the storyline."

"Rebecca is Troy's sister, right?"

"Yeah."

"So… um…"

"You know, you and mom aren't exactly quiet people," Gia glanced up at Mrs. Goodall with a smirk, "I know what she wants you to talk to me about. For what it's worth, I think it was rape."

"You do?"

"I know the Morris men… if you can call them men," Gia said. "The worst part about them is their charm. That's what draws you in. That's what keeps people unaware of how nasty they are. That's what fools you."

"But I don't remember it happening."

"If I remember everything Cliff did to me, you'd probably have to lock me away in a mental institute," Gia said. She found the bottles she needed and started to pull them from the shelf. "Look, the way I see it, you were drunk, right?"

"I had too much to drink."

"C'mon, Mrs. Goodall," Gia smirked, "You were shit-faced."

"I had…"

"I know my mom was a druggie, Mrs. Goodall, and there's no way I'm believing you were the angel."

"I was drunk," Mrs. Goodall sighed. "I went to…"

"You went to a bar, by yourself, and upset. That already makes you vulnerable. The fact that you were drunk made you easy. Did he buy you a drink?"

"Yeah."

"That's how he slipped you the drugs. Cliff got me like that a couple of times. Mick and Alex did it to me at a party once. He knew you'd pass out, and he wanted to be the nice guy to escort you home. When you were too out of it to refuse or stop him, he had his way with you, left the scene of the crime, and nine months later my best friend popped out."

"You really think that's what happened?"

"You don't?"

"I don't know what to think because I don't remember?"

"Really? Mrs. Goodall, your bedroom is right under mine. I know you have nightmares. And last night, when we were all camped out together in my room, you were talking in your sleep."

"I was?"

"Yeah… it was dirty, just like some of the nightmares I've had," Gia nodded her head. "Weren't you wondering why, when you woke up, Emma was with mom and me? Mrs. Goodall, my mom's right. You need to accept you were hurt and find a way to get over it."

"I am over it."

"Tell that to your subconscious."

"How?"

"Troy jumped into my dreams and had me fight Cliff alone," Gia said and then looked to Mrs. Goodall, "I don't know if that'll work for you, though."

"Gia…"

"You'll find your own way," Gia smiled to Mrs. Goodall. "But I can already tell you, life only got better for me when I admitted to myself that I was in a bad place. You can't get help unless you think you need it. So, Mrs. Goodall, what do you think happened that night? A casual one night stand?"

"I… I guess I was taken advantage of."

"You guess?"

"I… I was taken advantage of. I… oh my…"

Gia took the basket from Mrs. Goodall's hand and then reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly called Serena.

"Hey, um, mind if I skip this lesson? I have my real powers with me anyways… Something came up. I'll make it there as soon as I can. Everything's fine, it's just something I have to… It's not Vrak, I promise… Have fun without me."

Gia hung up her phone and then started to walk with Mrs. Goodall to the check out. Mrs. Goodall still seemed to be processing what Gia had told her so Gia handled the order. When it was complete, they walked to the car.

"Mrs. Goodall, are you okay?"

"He took advantage of me, Gia. And all these years… I didn't… what do I do?"

"The bastard's dead, so nothing, I guess," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I… with you?"

"Yeah. I'll listen."

"Does it get better?"

"You know," Gia smiled, "I asked Serena that same question a few months ago."

"Does it?"

"Yeah. Especially for you."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you're not going to let this kick you down. I won't let you," Gia answered and took Mrs. Goodall's hand again. "For starters, that night may have been horrible, but if it never happened, you wouldn't have Emma. What does she mean to you?"

"Everything."

"And she's the reason you're going to be okay too. I'll take you somewhere."

"Where?"

"Start the car."

Mrs. Goodall nodded and did as she was told, "Where to?"

"They buried Mr. Morris in the cemetery after he died. You can't really press charges on a dead guy, there's no satisfaction there, but you can still spit on his grave."

"Spit?"

"You don't have to literally spit. But let it all out," Gia said. "Tell him how you fell. Tell him what you think of him and what he did. Tell him why he can't hurt you. It helps. It helps a lot. When you know the person who wants you to feel weak can't hurt you, that's one of the best feelings."

"And you really think it's going to work for me?"

"If you focus on what's good in your life. You're finally settled down. You've learned how to be a good mom. You're a pretty kick ass aunt too…"

"I am?"

"Yeah, you are. You've got an amazing daughter. Your best friend isn't the number one best friend in the world, but she's certainly up there. And boy, your niece is just… perfect doesn't even begin to describe her."

Mrs. Goodall chuckled, "Yes, my humble niece sure is perfect."

"You're going to be okay, Mrs. Goodall."

"Claire."

"Huh?"

"My name is Claire. You can call me Claire."

"It's weird."

"Gia's weird."

"I meant it's going to be weird. But thanks…" Gia chuckled.

"Thanks…"

"What?"

"Thanks… who are you thanking, Gia? Come on, you're going to have to get used to saying it. Mrs. Goodall is my ex mother in-law."

"You know, you should really be thanking me."

"Thanks, Gia."

"You're welcome."

"You're welcome…"

"Are you parroting me?" Gia crossed her arms over her chest and smirked. "You know, I might not tell you which cemetery to go to and you'll have to find it all by yourself."

"Just say it, Gia."

"You're welcome, Claire," Gia said and then turned to the window and whispered, "So weird…"


	51. Dream Snatcher

Gia stayed back while Claire walked up to Mr. Morris' grave. It was a long shot, but Gia was positive this would help Mrs. Goodall move on from her most recent revelation that Mr. Morris had taken advantage of her. It wasn't an easier thing to live with. Gia was sure that like herself, Claire would suffer for a long time, but it was definitely better to accept what happened and move on than to sulk about it.

Gia heard a few of the things Claire said, but not all. A few cuss words slipped out, as well as a few sobs, but when all was said and done Gia noticed Claire was standing a little taller. She smiled at the older woman when she turned around.

"So?"

"That does feel better," Claire nodded her head. "I guess it also helps I know how he went down. In the end, he got what he deserved."

"He hurt a lot of people, I guess. I don't blame Mrs. Morris for shooting him," Gia answered. "How do you feel?"

"You were right, Gia. This did help," Claire wrapped her arm around Gia's shoulder. "I'm glad I talked to you."

"I'm glad I could help."

"I want to make a promise. I'll continue going to my support group, but there's something we need to do."

"We?" Gia looked up and frowned, "What?"

"We've both been hurt by a Morris," Claire said. "We have something in common."

"I'd take anything else over that."

"We help each other out," Claire continued. "One day, we'll come back here having won. Emma's going to do something that'll throw the night she was conceived right to the back of my mind and make me so proud to be her mother, and you're going to show Cliff he was wrong about everything and wrong to treat you the way he did. We're going to make these boys regret what they've done to us."

"Because we'll be stronger for it," Gia nodded her head. "I like that promise. We can wish it on the stars tonight. The meteor shower should…"

Gia was interrupted when she heard her morpher go off and sighed. She took it out, heard Tensou announce there was a monster close by and then looked up at Claire, "I've got to go. Try to get home. Don't leave the house until everything's clear."

Claire nodded her head and took Gia's bag as the yellow Ranger ran off, morphing as she went. Claire felt her stomach drop with worry but she it was best she not stick around.

-Megaforce-

With their temporary morphers in hand, the Megaforce Rangers were ready to head into battle when their morphers beeped. As they made it back to the city and to the site of the battle, they noticed many civilians lying on the ground. Noah, ever curious, stopped in his tracks to see what had happened to them."

"Guys!" he called to the others and waved them over, "Look."

The Rangers gathered around a little girl. Noah gently tried to wake her, but she wouldn't budge. Suddenly, roots came out from under her and planted themselves deep within the ground. Noah touched the roots curiously while Serena started to feel a pain in her chest.

"It's happening to the others," Troy said as he looked around the street and saw all the other people who were on the ground had roots coming out from under them.

"Serena?" Mia asked as the white Ranger started to sway. When Serena tumbled over, Kevin and Mia were quick to catch her.

"It's got to be the monster," Jake pointed out and he turned to his teammates. Troy nodded his head.

"Kevin, Mia, you stay here with Serena and these people. See if there's something you can do. Guys… let's put these new powers to the test."

They continued down the street until they found the site of the battle. Gia was already there in her Ultra Mode fighting against the monster. When she saw her friends had arrived she broke away from the fight to join them.

"Finally!"

"Sorry, it's was a long run," Jake said. "What's his deal?"

Gia pointed to the civilians nearby, all of which were asleep on the ground and rooted, just like the ones the Rangers had seen before.

"He calls himself the Dream Snatcher. He eats people's dreams. He's mentioned something about an Aurora Box making him even stronger. Be careful guys. In Ultra Mode he's giving me a hard time."

"It's morphin' time!" Troy called out as he and the other Rangers morphed for battle with their temporary suits. They rushed towards the monster. Troy could already feel the lack of power, and knew Gosei and Tensou hadn't been kidding when they said these suits wouldn't be as powerful as their usual ones. He felt more vulnerable. He felt he had a lot less strength.

Then the monster landed a hit. It hurt more than Troy anticipated and he dropped to his knees. Fortunately, his friends were around him quickly.

-Megaforce-

After the Rangers left, Kevin and Mia lowered Serena to the ground. They didn't have time to worry about the others as Serena started to become very pale.

"What's going on?" Mia asked while Kevin traced a Symbol to make her some water to drink.

"I don't know," Serena whispered as she accepted the water and took a sip.

"It's got to be those roots," Kevin turned to the little girl on the street corner. "They must be doing something to the Earth."

"How do you feel?" Mia asked. She took the water away from Serena and tried to help the white Ranger get back to her feet. Serena stumbled slightly, but leaned on Mia to stand.

"Sick," she answered. Then she pulled out her Samuraizer, "I need to try something."

She traced a Symbol in the air and then spun it into the ground. The Earth moved slightly, but gave up quickly and Serena felt the pain in her chest rise up again.

"I'm not sick," Serena frowned. "It's the Earth. The roots are making the Earth sick."

"I was right," Kevin said. He looked to the ground, "But how? The Megaforce Rangers fight monsters who want to take over the Earth. Nighlok wanted to destroy it."

"There are mutants," Serena said. "They want to destroy the Earth through pollution. Whatever monster is doing this must have gotten help from them."

"Seriously?"

"Gia said Dr. Oliver was turned into dragon. Maybe they've got a new toy. A dangerous toy. We've got to see what's up."

"And you're okay to move?" Mia looked to Serena worriedly, "If these roots are affecting the Earth this much…"

"We came to help the Rangers, right? I'll be fine. Let's figure this out."

-Megaforce-

Emma rolled on the ground after the monster hit her again. She was finding it difficult to keep up with him in her temporary and near powerless Ranger suit. It really made her appreciate the power she had as the pink Ranger. Still, she knew she couldn't give up and jumped to her feet again. The Dream Snatcher threw her friends around before setting his sights on her.

"Back off!" Gia cried and leapt over Emma to jump back into the fight. She was really the only advantage the Rangers had. Because Vrak hadn't managed to get a hold of her morpher, she still had her powers, and with it, she could transform into the Ultra Mode. She had all the strength she needed to keep the battle going, but unfortunately without the rest of her team up to form she couldn't finish the monster off by herself.

"All I need is a little dessert!" the monster cried out as he used his weapon to smash Gia into the ground. Emma saw Gia's helmet hit the ground. No matter how much power the Rangers had, Emma knew that always hurt. When the monster started to move in closer to her friend she jumped forward. He swung his giant forked weapon at her. She blocked it once but felt the sting in her body when it hit her. She really appreciated what her real suit could do for her now. As she tried to recover from that hit, the monster jabbed at her again. She felt the forked ends go through the front of her body and then saw as they pulled out an orb of light. After that, everything faded to black.

"Emma!" Troy and Gia rushed over and caught her as she started to fall back. Jake jumped up to his feet and ran for the monster. Noah was right behind him.

"Get back here!" Jake summoned his Snake Axe and he swung it at the monster. The Dream Snatcher rolled on the ground, away from the Rangers. When he was up, he saw the blue Ranger with his Shark Bowgun trained on him.

"What did you do?" Noah asked.

"I've eaten her hopes and dreams," he chuckled as he started to back away from the fight slowly. "Their spirits are now imprisoned in my dark dream world. And after their dreams are eaten, their bodies grow roots of despair that'll make the Earth rot away!"

"That must be why Serena suddenly didn't feel well," Troy said, putting the pieces together as he looked down at Emma. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed Gia's fist clench a little tighter around her Ultra Sword. He looked up at her, and even through the helmet he could see the rage in her eyes. He nodded his head.

"We've got your back," he told her. He gently set Emma on the ground, at which roots immediately grew out from underneath her and implanted themselves into the Earth.

Gia jumped to her feet, and still in her Ultra Mode, she had the speed she needed to catch up to the Dream Snatcher as he started to walk away. She struck him across the back and forced him to his knees.

"You're not going anywhere!" she shouted and brought her Ultra Sword down, this time on his head.

"Gross…" Noah muttered and turned away when he saw the monster split in two before exploding.

"Wicked!" Jake cried as he ran over to his girlfriend, "Wow, Gia, that was so awesome! That'll teach those monsters to think twice before they mess with us!"

Gia nodded her head and powered down. The boys did the same. When they turned back to Emma to see if she was up they were disappointed. She was still on the ground. The roots were buried deep into the ground beneath her. Looking around, they saw all the civilians were also still trapped.

"But we defeated the monster," Troy said. He walked over to Emma and touched her roots. They were as strong as ever. "We defeat the monster and his spells wear off. Emma should be up."

"Emma?" Gia walked over and knelt by Emma's side. She gently tapped her best friend's cheek, "Emma, wake up. Emma, the monster's gone."

"Uh, not quite," Noah said and the Rangers turned their attention back to the spot where the Dream Snatcher had been destroyed. They saw Vrak's Zombats were flocking around and they knew what that meant.

"Fine," Gia said as she grabbed her Power Card for the Megazord, "If it's a round two you want, it's a round two you'll get!"

"Wait," Troy grabbed her arm, "There are people lying around all over the city! If we have a Megazord battle, we're more than likely to step on some of them."

"Not to mention we don't have Emma," Noah pointed out. "We need her Phoenix for the Megazord."

"You mean we can't fight?" Gia asked and then looked down at Emma. She shook her head, "You can't be serious! We need to stop this guy!"

"We have to wake these people up first," Troy said.

"And what do we do until then?" Gia pointed to the giant Dream Snatcher who was starting to make his way through the city. "Let this big freak walk around?"

"Gia, I'm sending you a Power Card," Gosei announced through her helmet, "It'll freeze the monster where he stands. However, due to his size, you'll only have an hour."

Gia saw the card appear before her. She took it in her hands and activated it right away. Gosei didn't need to tell her twice. Once it was activated and the Dream Snatcher was frozen she turned to the boys. "We have one hour to figure something out."

"What did the monster do?" Noah asked.

"He ate her dreams," Jake said. Noah took out his laptop.

"I'll see if there's something we can do from out here."

Gia powered down and dropped by Emma's side. She gently grabbed Emma's shoulders and tried to shake her awake again.

"C'mon, Emma."

Jake sat down next to Gia and took her into his arms, "Hey, we'll figure something out. An hour is plenty of time."

Gia nodded her head and bit her lip, "I hope so."


	52. Goals

When Emma opened her eyes she wasn't sure where she was or what had happened to her. She couldn't even tell if she was in a room. There were people around her, and various objects that looked like they didn't exactly belong anywhere.

She had a look around and for a moment she wanted to find a way to get out, but then felt all hope and motivation just leave her body. There was no way out. She didn't know where she was, what she was supposed to be doing, who these people around her were or where her friends were. There was no point in trying to do anything. She dropped to her knees on the floor and let out a disappointed sigh.

-Megaforce-

Out in the real world, the boys were pacing as they tried to think, and Noah was on his computer. Gosei had given Gia a Power Card that would freeze the mega-monster for an hour to give them time to figure out how to wake up or move all the victims from the city. Because the monster had snatched their dreams and left them lying on the ground all over the city, there was no way to summon the Megazord and have a battle without putting the victims in harm's way. Before the spell on the Dream Snatcher wore off, the Rangers needed to come up with a way to wake all the victims up.

Gia, meanwhile, was sitting next to Emma and looking over her. She had no idea what would happen to her best friend if they couldn't undo the monster's spell and she didn't want to find out. But as time was disappearing it was looking more and more hopeless. Emma was also beginning to turn pale and the roots beneath her, as well as the other victims, were getting bigger. Gia could even see and feel the ground starting to rot.

"Emma, come on," she gently shook the pink Ranger but there was no change. Emma didn't move, she didn't moan or groan. It didn't look like she was going to wake up at all.

"Gia, it's gonna be fine," Jake assured her. "We've still got forty minutes…"

"That's twenty minutes wasted already," Gia said and then turned to Noah, "Anything?"

"Nothing," Noah said and Gia ripped the laptop away from him, "Hey!"

"She's wasting away?" Gia asked as she read Noah's screen.

"The roots are taking something from her to pollute the Earth," Noah said and took his laptop back. "That's not unusual. What's unusual is that she's actually wide awake."

"Your laptop is broken," Gia shook her head. Noah frowned.

"It's working fine."

"She's sound asleep! She's dying!"

"Gia, calm down," Jake came over and put his hand on Gia's shoulder, "We'll figure something out. Troy and Noah can use their Zords to carry the monster out of the city before the time runs out. If we get him somewhere secluded then we can fight him and…"

"We still wouldn't have Emma's Phoenix," Gia shook her head. "Our Megazord will be missing an arm."

"Then it's a good thing we can defeat this monster with one arm tied behind our back," Jake chuckled. He was hit in the chest by Gia's fist, "Ow… what? I'm just saying."

"This isn't funny," Gia said. She touched Emma's cheek, "We need to do something. There's got to be a way to help her."

"I'll keep looking into it," Noah promised and pushed his glasses up his nose as he started to type away on his laptop.

Jake stood up and walked over to Troy, "You made it into Gia's dreams once. Think you can do it again?"

"That monster stole Emma's dreams," Troy shook his head. "She doesn't have any for me to jump into."

Troy looked over at Emma and sighed, "I think… I think she's on her own on this one…"

"We have to help her," Gia looked up at Troy. "There's got to be something we can do!"

"Wait… what if this monster didn't steal Emma's dreams?" Noah asked as he kept his eyes on his computer screen. "I mean, to dream, you need to be asleep, right? Unless Emma sleep-fights, she was wide awake when that monster came after her. What if he stole a different set of dreams?"

"Like?" Jake asked. "Nightmares?"

"No. Her wishes. Her goals."

"She's got a lot of them," Gia whispered and then looked up at the sky. The sun was already beginning to set which meant it was starting to get dark. "One of them was to get pictures of tonight's meteor shower. But she's got to wake up in time. We need to wake her up."

"I don't think we can," Troy shook his head as he knelt by Emma and looked to Gia, "I don't think there's anything we can do. I think Emma's got half-an-hour to get herself out…"

"There's got to be something."

"Gia."

"We have to be able to do something," Gia started to shake Emma again; "You wanted pictures of the meteor shower. You want to save the rainforest. You want to have some of your pictures published in nature magazines. Come on, Emma…, please don't give up."

-Megaforce-

"Gia told me once the mutants' lair was around an old chemical plant," Serena said as she, Mia, and Kevin made their way just outside of town. Now that she was further away from where the monster had attacked and where his victims were poisoning the ground she felt a little better, but she could also still feel the Earth calling out for help. There had to be something she and the others could do to help.

So far, they didn't know much, but they knew enough to start investigating. Gia had mentioned Vrak had turned Dr. Oliver into a dragon using the information the mutants had collected. Now there was a monster capable of rendering humans unconscious and using their energy to poison the Earth. It sounded a little fishy and Serena wanted to know what was up.

"It stinks out here," Kevin said and plugged his nose. He walked up to a chain fence. He could see the factory in the distance, but though it was far, the damage it had caused had spread quite a ways out.

"Pollution doesn't smell nice," Mia told him. She started to climb the fence, assuming the mutants would live on the other side. When she was over she started to look around.

Kevin held out his hand, "Ladies first."

"So kind of you," Serena said and started her climb up the fence. "Allowing the ladies to jump into the chemical wastelands firsts."

"You know me," Kevin said. When Serena was over safely he climbed up and over. "So, where are these mutants hiding?"

"Underground," Serena answered.

"How do we get underground?" Mia asked.

"Easy," Serena pulled out her Samuraizer and traced Symbol. Suddenly, there was a hole right under Kevin's feet and he went tumbling into a pit. Mia gasped when she saw her husband fall. Serena chuckled. "Whoops? I guess it's not ladies first this time."

"The tunnel continues," Kevin whispered as he pulled himself up to his feet using the rock wall. "I think we've found our way in."

"Age before beauty," Serena offered to Mia to jump into the tunnel first. Mia nodded her head and then pushed Serena in. Serena hit the ground and groaned while Kevin and Mia chuckled.

"How kind of you," Mia said and then jumped down gracefully. "I did spend a little extra time on my hair this morning."

"You know that spar Riley wants to see happen between you and Emma?" Serena muttered as she got to her feet. "Now, I'm rooting for Emma."

"Come on, guys," Kevin called to the girls as he started to make his way down the tunnel. The girls followed him, and kept their eyes peeled and listened carefully for any signs of the mutants.

Suddenly, Mia grabbed both Serena and Kevin by the back of their shirts and pulled them down a side tunnel. She signalled for them both to be quiet and they heard talking.

"Legend has it that the Aurora Box has the power to magnify a monster's strength a hundred times!"

"It's working well for the Dream Snatcher. He's already giving the Rangers a hard time. Last I saw, he was kicking their asses!"

"Let's not get too overconfident. I have stripped the Rangers of their powers, and this is simply a trial run."

"If this works, and Dream Snatcher does give the Rangers a run for their money, then Bluefur and I should get first dibs to use it at full strength. We're tired of playing games with these Rangers."

"But games are fun. Besides, why would I waste such a tremendous power on you when I have the perfect pet? Once we power him up using the Aurora Box, he will be unstoppable, and we can sit back and watch as he lays waste to the Rangers and the planet for us."

"His pet," Kevin whispered as she looked to the girls, "That must be Vrak, and he's got to be talking about Dr. Oliver."

"Gia says Dr. Dragon kicked her ass," Serena said. "If Vrak makes him stronger and the Rangers don't have any powers, they don't stand a chance."

"What if we call the others to help?" Mia suggested. "The Rangers have their temporary Powers, and Vrak won't be expecting a second team."

"What if we can get their powers back for them?" Kevin said and the girls looked to him and saw a smirk on his face, "Vrak's got the morphers here. I see them."

"You do?" Serena asked and Kevin pointed into the room. Vrak and the mutants were out of sight, but just across the room Vrak had left the morphers sitting on the floor, completely out in the open. They were sure they couldn't just walk in and grab them. Vrak likely had one eye on them at all times, but they did have the chance to run in and snatch them up. Serena shook her head, "No way. I've done enough stupid shit to know when we're being set up."

"How are we being set up?" Kevin asked her. "They don't know we're here. They just keep talking about the Aurora Box. I bet half the things they're saying are things they don't want us to know ahead of time."

Kevin turned to Mia, "You and I can run out there. We'll grab the morphers. Serena, as soon as we have them use a Symbol and take us to the Rangers' command center. We're in, we're out, and the Rangers have their powers back."

"I don't know," Serena said. "I've got a bad feeling, and I don't think it's the Earth rotting."

"Do you really want to turn around now?" Mia asked the white Ranger. "The Rangers need their powers and we promised to help."

"Worse come to worse, we're a little slow and we've got to show Vrak what Samurai are really made of," Kevin said. "We've got to try."

"Alright," Serena nodded her head and took out her Samuraizer. "I guess we've got to take the open shot while we've got it."

"You ready?" Kevin asked Mia and he smiled when she nodded her head, "Alright, on the count of three. One… two… three!"

As quickly as they could, the blue and pink Rangers sprinted out in the room. They only made it halfway across when Serena saw a dragon fly out of nowhere and knocked them down.

"Holy shit!" she shouted, morphed, and ran into the room. She made it to her friends and helped them up, but then was shot in the back. Before she could get her bearings she felt something grab her and then rammed her into the stone wall, which forced her to power down. She looked up, saw a dragon staring at her and gulped.

"You must be Dr. Oliver," she tried to squirm out from between his hand and the wall but she was pinned tightly. She had a quick look around for her friends but saw they were already knocked out on the ground. She noticed Vrak approaching them and squirmed a little more.

"Get away from them!"

"Bigs! Bluefur! I think we've got a few more candidates. What do you say? One pet each?"

"No!" Serena shouted and tried again to get out of the dragon's hand. She noticed him opening his mouth, like he was ready to bite on her. She closed her eyes, clenched her fists and suddenly a pieces of the wall above her flew out and hit the dragon in the face. It knocked him back and forced him to drop her. Serena saw the morphers sitting on the ground just a little ways off but she also saw Bigs and Bluefur getting closer to Mia and Kevin.

"Dammit," Serena muttered to herself, and ducked when the dragon lunged for her. Fortunately, he flew just over her head. "Okay, if I weren't me but had me telling me I needed to make a smart decision quick, which decision would I want me to make?"

She noticed in the corner of her eye the dragon coming for her again quickly traced a Symbol. The rock she formed from the wall suddenly lifted up and soared through the air to hit the dragon. Serena started to run to her friends but skid to a stop when she saw Bigs and Bluefur were already lifting them up. She saw the morphers were wide open and started to run for them.

"Pet! Get her!" Vrak shouted and Serena heard the wings of the dragon flap as he readied himself to tackle her. She knew she couldn't leave the mutant's base empty handed so she used her Samuraizer again and traced a Symbol.

"HOME!" she cried and threw the symbol at the pile of morphers, and then felt something slam into her from behind. She would have fallen forward, but the dragon's large hand grabbed her and threw her into a wall. She groaned as she dropped to the ground.

"An Ape would make an interesting pet," she heard Vrak taunt her as the dragon came closer. She shook her head and traced another Symbol with her Samuraizer. Suddenly the ground started to shake and pieces of the ceiling and walls started to crumble.


	53. Awake

Emma felt herself growing weak as she sat on the floor and waited for the end. She noticed that, like herself, the other people around her were starting to slump over. They seemed tired, defeated, and completely broken down. They had nothing to do, no way to escape, and nothing to live for.

"This is hopeless," she whispered to herself, "We're never getting out of here. We're all just going to die here, and why shouldn't we? What good are we anyways? I should come to terms with the fact that nothing we do means anything."

She sighed again and lay on the ground to look up at… she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Aside from the people and objects sitting around, this world was completely dark. There were no walls, no doors, and no windows. She was trapped. They were all trapped.

But as Emma looked up at the darkness she started to imagine being back home. The darkness above her reminded her of the sky at night, except right now it was missing the stars. No wanting to die staring at nothing she tried to imagine little white dots floating up above her and she started to smile.

"I guess I'll never see that meteor shower," she said. "I was going to take so many pictures. We were going to have the best view of anyone in the city. I bought an album just for tonight."

Emma let out another sigh as she remembered the plans she had made for the meteor shower. She and the other Rangers were going to stay out late on the cliffside overlooking the city. She would have her camera pointed to the city to catch pictures of the stars shooting over Harwood.

She also remembered she had invited her mother to come out with her, and smiled when she thought of how her mother had accepted her invitation. It wasn't the first time they did something together, but it was the first time they did something that was very meaningful for her. That was already a dream come true. She had always wanted her parents to take an interest in her and in her life and now, finally, she had a mother around who wanted to be there for her and take part in the things she loved.

"You bought an album?" a man asked her, and Emma looked up for a moment to see it was the man who had been sitting and staring at a guitar who had spoken. She nodded her head.

"A photo album. I'm a bit of a photographer. I've probably got dozens at home already."

She got to her feet and walked over to him, "You've been staring at that guitar for a while."

"I've been playing since I was just a boy," he answered her. "I've always wanted to make an album. A music album. I want to make people happy with my music. I want them to feel moved by it."

"You don't need to make an album for that," Emma told him. "Just sing to people. I'll bet you're really good. A lot of people will stop and listen."

"I'm no good. What hope do I have? No one's going to like my music."

"If it's important to you, that's got to be good enough already," Emma picked up the guitar and offered it to him, "I want to hear you play."

"You do?"

"I love music. When I was really little, before my mother starting taking off all the time, there was one song she used to sing to me that always made me feel better."

"I guess I could play something," he took his guitar and set it on his lap, "You promise you'll be honest?"

"Just play from the heart," Emma nodded her head. Then she looked up again at the darkness and smiled as she imagined the meteor shower that would happen that night. As the man started to play she felt her spirits lift a little. She gave him a smile and received one in return. Then she walked over to a little girl.

"What do you dream of?"

"I wish I had a kitten," the girl answered. "My parents promised me one when I got older, and I really think I can take care of it."

"I'm sure you can," Emma nodded her head. "What do you want to name the kitten?"

"Hope."

"That's a good name," Emma smiled and the little girl smiled as well. Emma gently squeezed her shoulder before getting back up and looking around. The room didn't feel as depressing or gloomy now that there was some music playing. She looked to the other people and saw they were all lifting their heads and talking to each other about the things they wanted to achieve once the Rangers helped them out of this bizarre situation. When Emma heard that it all dawned on her. She didn't just end up here. She was a Ranger. They had been battling a monster and she had been one of his victims. He had stolen all her hoped and dreams and was keeping her and the others trapped in this world.

Then it all came flooding back to her. She had dreams of saving the world. She wanted to protect the environment. She wanted to save dying species of plants and animals and help to restore balance between humans and nature. She wanted to protect the planet against forces like Vrak, his army, and the mutants who wanted to see it destroyed. She wanted to fight alongside her friends and win. She wanted to protect the things and people she cared most about in the world.

-Megaforce-

Gia was still sitting by Emma's side when she finally had enough. She let out a cry and smashed her fists into the concrete.

"There has to be something we can do!" she shouted to the boys. "We don't have a lot of time left and Emma's not making any progress on her own!"

"We have just under five minutes," Noah nodded. Jake smacked him in the back of the head.

"Thanks, dude. You're a big help," he muttered and then walked over to Gia. He sat down beside her. "We've done all we can. We've tried talking to her, we've tried waking her up. We've tried everything short of cutting those roots…"

"I've told you," Noah said as he rubbed the back of his head, "If you cut the roots, you might hurt the person they're connected to. It is draining energy from them. It's part of them."

"We have to do something!" Gia grabbed Emma's shoulders and desperately tried to shake her best friend awake. "Come on, Emma! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Gia…"

"NO!" Gia shoved Jake away as he tried to take her into his arms to comfort her. "She needs to wake up! Emma, please!"

"The monster's going to start causing trouble," Troy said. "We need to figure out how to defeat him and keep all his victims safe. Noah, you and I should go ahead…"

"No!" Gia shouted to the boys. "Look at her! She doesn't have long! What if we don't stop him in time! We have to wake her up! We have to!"

"Gia, I'm sure Emma's doing what she can…"

"We need to help her! You've spent this whole hour just sitting on your asses coming up with nothing! She's counting on us! She needs us!"

"Gia…"

"No! We have to try something! Anything! We…"

"Gia, it's okay…"

"No, it's not," Gia shook her head before the voice registered and she recognized it as Emma's. She looked down and saw the pink Ranger was starting to sit up. The roots were gone and she was awake and moving around. "Emma!"

"No monster is going to make me give up on my dreams," Emma said as Gia threw her arms around her. "It took me a while to snap out of it, but once I remembered I wanted to get pictures of the meteor shower tonight, it all started coming back to me."

"Your dreams broke the spell?" Noah asked her.

"All our dreams," Emma smiled and gestured around to the other people waking up. "We got to talking about all the things we were hopeful for and I guess the spell was broken."

"Emma, don't you ever do that to me again," Gia said and finally pulled away from the pink Ranger.

"All the times you scared me to death," Emma chuckled and rose to her feet, "I think I have a right to a few more turns."

"Don't even joke," Gia shook her head. "If anything happened…"

"Nothing did," Emma reassured her. "Don't worry about it."

Gia nodded and then suddenly there was a loud cry. Emma looked up and saw the monster towering over the city. She turned to her friends, "Shall we stop him?"

"You lead," Troy smiled.


	54. Meteor Shower

After the battle in the Megazord and the defeat of the Dream Snatcher monster, the Rangers noticed it was dark out. They powered down and Emma grabbed Gia's hand and started to run.

"Come on! We don't want to miss it! Hurry up!"

"Emma, slow down," Gia laughed and could barely keep up with the excited pink Ranger. They, as well as the boys, made it to the cliffside and found Claire, Vanessa, Riley, and Jesse were waiting for them. They had a blanket set out already, some snacks laid out, and Vanessa was setting up Emma's camera. All she had to do was point it to the city to get the perfect shot.

"You're late," Riley pointed out to the Rangers as they came to the blanket to take their seats for the show. "I don't care how many monsters were invading. You shouldn't keep people waiting."

"Sorry, Riles," Troy chuckled as he ruffled her hair.

Emma adjusted her camera and made sure it was mostly pointed to the sky, but that she could also see parts of the city at the bottom of the frame. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw her mother looking to her with a little bit of worry.

"I know there was a monster in the city. We had a great view of the fight."

"From here you've got a great view of everything," Emma smiled.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Emma nodded her head and then pointed to her camera, "Want to take a look?"

Claire nodded and leaned down to look through the camera. Vanessa had set it up on a tripod so Emma wouldn't have to hold it up through the entire meteor shower.

"You're going to get some amazing shots, sweetheart."

"Mom."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming."

"My pleasure," Claire said and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"I've set the camera to take pictures every couple of seconds," Emma said and with her mother she walked over to the blanket. "I should get some really cool shots that way, but I don't miss seeing the meteor shower for myself."

"Look up then," Noah said and pointed to the sky, "It's starting."

"Shooting star!" Riley cried out as she looked up. "Whoa! Another one! And another one! And another one! Jesse, do you see this?"

"Jesse's asleep, Riley," Vanessa chuckled. "And I think he's too young to understand what a meteor shower is. He'll have to wait until he's older."

"Another shooting star! All my wishes are going to come true!" Riley said and then closed her eyes to wish really hard. Emma chuckled at the little girl's excitement and then leaned back into the grass so she could watch the sky. Dozens of stars were shooting across the sky while many more stars were content with staying in one place for the night. The scene was truly beautiful.

"You know," Noah said as he leaned in to Troy, "Meteor showers are quite amazing. They're actually…"

"Noah, don't ruin this one with science," Troy chuckled. "For once, just appreciate what's right in front of you."

Jake heard Troy's words and then looked over to Gia with a smile. He crawled in closer to her and took her hand.

"I think Riley's right," he whispered to her. "Tonight's the night to start making wishes. They'll come true."

"Some of mine already have," Gia whispered back and then looked to him with a smile. She reached her hand out, placed it behind his neck and pulled in him for a soft kiss.

Emma was fascinated by the sky, but had to look away from it for a moment and rolled over in the grass. She looked a little ways up the hill where her mother and Vanessa were sitting together.

"Mom…"

"My wish already came true, Emma," Claire assured her. "Don't worry about me."

"I was actually going to ask about that support group you went to today," Emma said. "Was it helpful?"

"I talked to someone," Claire nodded her head and cast a quick glance over to Gia. "You were right about what happened to me that night."

Emma's happy expression fell slightly from her face. Claire shook her head.

"No, sweetheart, it's okay. I'm going to be okay," she promised her daughter. "I've got a great family around me, and an amazing daughter whose is going to make all the pain worth it. The only thing that's important to me is what we have here."

"So you're okay?"

"I'm going to be okay," Claire smiled and then pointed to the sky, "Look, it's really starting to come down now!"

"So many stars!" Riley cried out and then turned to her brother, "Jesse, you're missing everything!"

"Don't wake him up, Riley," Vanessa warned the little girl, and at the sound of her voice Jake shifted away from Gia slightly. She chuckled and nudged him.

"My mom is cool with you, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Jake glanced over his shoulder, "It's just… kind of awkward having her here, you know. This is kind of romantic."

"The romance is killed by the smell of the baby," Gia said and pointed to Jesse. Then she turned to the mothers, "Claire, he made another stinker."

"Are you serious," Claire grumbled and got up to change the little boy. "Now, of all times? Vanessa, are you sure…"

"Oh, I've changed enough diapers," Vanessa chuckled. "I'll let you enjoy this little gift."

"Yeah, thanks," Claire picked up the little boy and took him away from the group so he wouldn't ruin the night for anyone else.

Emma turned her attention away from the sky again to look at her best friend, "Claire?"

"That's her name, right?"

"You don't call her by her name," Emma shook her head. "When did that happen?"

"Hey, you call my mom by her name," Gia shrugged. "It's only fair."

Emma frowned. She turned to her mother and then back to Gia. She looked like she wanted to say more but didn't and resumed enjoying the meteor shower.

Jake leaned in to Gia, "You'll tell to me about it, right?"

"You remember when I said if I could help one person everything Cliff put me through would be worth it?"

"Yeah."

"Who better to start with than the person who was also taken advantage of by a Morris?"

"You helped her?"

"We talked, yeah. She's a lot more resilient than I am."

"To be fair, something good already came out of what happened to her," Jake said and nodded his head in Emma's direction. She's got a lot to fight for already. Not that you didn't… you know… you just had to…"

"Figure it out," Gia nodded and pulled him in for another kiss. Jake hesitated.

"Your mother's staring."

"Just kiss me," Gia chuckled.

Riley hugged her knees to her chest as she looked up at the sky. The meteor shower seemed to be slowing down, as there were less and less shooting stars to see through the sky. She started to rub her eyes. She was excited she got to stay up late but she was getting kind of sleepy. Then she started to look around, "When's mommy coming home?"

Vanessa looked at her watch, "I completely forgot. Didn't they want to see the meteor shower too?"

"Maybe they were late," Noah suggested. "Or Serena said she wasn't feeling well earlier. Maybe they went home."

"But Serena wasn't feeling well because of the roots," Troy said. "I thought that was what happened."

"Can I call mommy?" Riley asked Vanessa.

"I'm sure they're waiting for you at home."

"Please?"

"Riley, I'm sure…"

"Aunt Serena!" Riley suddenly screamed and jumped to her feet. She started to run for the top of the hill. The Rangers, Vanessa, and Claire raced after her.

"Riley, get back here!" Troy shouted but stopped when they saw the little girl on the ground sobbing over a body. Troy scooped Riley up in his arms to comfort her while the others came around the body. Gia was the first to recognize it.

"Serena?" she knelt and rolled the white Ranger on her back. Even in the dark, she could see Serena was in a bad way. She had gashes both thick and long covering almost every part of her body. Her clothes, at least what was left of them, and hair were stained with blood. When Gia checked, she was barely breathing, and the yellow Ranger had a hard time finding a pulse. She quickly jumped up and ran back to the blanket near the cliff to get her morpher.

"What happened?" Jake asked as he turned to Troy. The red Ranger shrugged his shoulders and struggled to keep an inconsolable Riley in his arms.

"Let me go!" Riley screamed and beat into his chest. "Aunt Serena! Stop it, Troy! Let me go!"

"It's okay," Troy assured her, though he wasn't even sure himself. Gia finally came back with her bag and morpher in hand. Vanessa reached out and took Riley from Troy.

"Gosei wouldn't want us at the command center anyways," she said about herself and Claire. "We'll take Riley and Jesse home and…"

"No," Gia shook her head. "Everyone's coming. We're not splitting up until we know who did this and what happened. I don't care who Gosei's banned."

"I think that's a good idea," Troy said and kept Riley in his arms. Gia took Serena's hand and then looked around, "Everyone, hold on to me."

The Rangers, Vanessa, and Claire all did as they were told and suddenly disappeared.


	55. Serena's Awakening

When Serena opened her eyes she couldn't do much. She couldn't figure out where she was, never mind what had happened to her. She stared up at a rocky ceiling just wondering about nothing.

Slowly, she started to feel pain. Her whole body was sore. At first she thought it was the Nighlok, and hoped that whatever had happened, her friends had won for her. She figured she was back at the Shiba House and they were looking after her.

But that didn't make sense. She remembered she had defeated Xandred. It had been a while now. She had moved on from her traditional Samurai duties. She had moved on with her life. She had a job at the high school in Panorama. She was a mother to Terran, and had even had a second child with her husband since.

Finally, it started to come back to her, but only in pieces. She remembered the Megaforce Rangers. She remembered they lost their powers. She remembered bringing Mia and Kevin to help. Then there was a dragon, a mistake, guilt, and then a lot of pain. She remembered a lot of pain.

She didn't like this. She knew she was staring up at a ceiling because she was lying in a bed. She could hear the familiar beeping of machines that were monitoring her heart and breathing rate. She felt the pain her body was in and instantly needed to feel and move around, praying that she not only had all her limbs still, but that they were working. She would be damned if she had to spend even a couple of months in a wheelchair again.

She wiggled her toes first. She could feel them moving, though hardly, and it hurt to do so. Then she tried to move her fingers. They were a little easier, though pain shot up her arm. However, one hand didn't seem to want to move as much as the other. She groaned as she turned her head, which sent more pain shooting up her neck as well as down her back. She looked to her hand and saw someone was holding it. She couldn't see very well still, but when she focused on the hand, and the body connected to it, she eventually made out who it was. Gia had fallen asleep in a chair next to her bed. She was holding her hand and her head had fallen on the mattress.

"You're awake?" Serena heard a robotic voice asked her but couldn't tell from where. She had a look of panic on her face before something appeared over her. She must have tensed up. She must have done something because it woke Gia up.

"Tensou, you're scaring her," Gia said and moved away from her bedside. The thing above her face moved away too. "Just keep an eye on her from afar."

"Sorry…" the robotic voice answered and then Gia came back. She leaned over Serena and forced herself to smile for the white Ranger's sake. Even in her state, Serena could see it was forced. She saw there were tear stains on Gia's cheeks. She saw the younger girl looked deeply upset and wanted to say something, but Gia shook her head.

"Don't strain yourself. It's okay," Gia brushed Serena's hair from her face. "We were watching the meteor shower when Riley saw you coming over the hill. You collapsed before we got to you. We brought you to the command center, Tensou had to fix you up a little… well, a lot. What happened? We were so worried."

"A dragon," Serena whispered and her voice hurt. Everything hurt. Gia frowned.

"A dragon? Wait… did you… Serena!"

"Mor… morphers…"

"What?"

Gia felt a tap on her leg. She turned around and saw Tensou looking up at her nervously.

"Actually, I know what she's saying," he said. He then walked over to the Rangers' consoles and their morphers appeared. "These turned up somehow last night. It's the real deal. I was going to tell you Rangers tomorrow morning. You were all so excited about the meteor shower. Then when you brought Serena here it kind of slipped my mind. I'm sorry, yellow Ranger…"

"It's okay, Tensou. We have them now," Gia said and pointed to her bag. Tensou knew she wanted him to put them away. He rolled off while Gia turned back to Serena. "You, Mia, and Kevin went to get our morphers back, didn't you? Why didn't you…?"

"There… not… right. Mutants… pollution… we…"

"You know, after that whole drama I went through for going after Vrak alone, I should have a word with you and the others," Gia said and then sighed, "Though I guess the beating you got is talking to enough. You're going to be okay. I promise we'll work as hard as we have to so you can get back on your feet."

Serena managed a smile and nodded her head. She felt Gia take her hand again and squeezed it. Then a light blinded her for just a moment before she heard another voice.

"You're up? I brought breakfast. Mom said this would help you feel better."

"Thanks," Gia answered and took a plate from the new person. She then looked down at Serena, then back up. "I'll go home and eat. I'll let mom know I'm okay. Can you sit with her?"

The person must have said yes, because Gia gave Serena's hand a gentle squeeze before she walked off. Then someone else took her seat. Serena had to focus for a minute before she recognized Emma. The pink Ranger took her hand and smiled.

"You're awake."

"Gia…"

"She's right to go home," Emma said. "She's been here with you all night. You had us all pretty worried. Gia most of all. She wouldn't leave your side. She even helped Tensou patch you up a bit."

"A bit?" the robotic voice spoke up again. "She gave as much blood as I would let her! She'd have given it all if Gosei hadn't stepped in."

"Metaphorically," Emma chuckled. "In case it's a bit fuzzy, Gosei's that big face on the wall."

"Blood?" Serena asked. Emma nodded her head.

"You lost a lot of blood," she said. "Tensou said you needed some to have a chance at survival. Gia offered right away. Conveniently, she's O negative."

"She… she…"

"Noah helped out a little too. When Tensou got your blood type he saw Noah was a perfect match. We did all we could for you, so you're going to get better. And just focus on that for now. We'll take care of everything else."


	56. A Pinky Promise

Vanessa had never seen so much rage coming from something so small.

After finding Serena at the top of the hill, beaten and bloodied, Riley had gone into a panic. She knew her parents were Samurai Rangers, and she knew they were in Harwood County to help the Megaforce Rangers in battle. Seeing her aunt injured, and her parents nowhere to be found caused her to freak out. When Vanessa and Claire took her and Jesse home for the night, so she wouldn't have to see Tensou work on Serena to fix her up, Riley let them have it. She screamed, she punched, she kicked. When they tried to put her to bed she would throw her pillow and blanket around and then jump out of bed and start smashing anything she could get her hands on. She was crying out for her parents, demanding Vanessa and Claire bring them back.

Emma, who spent the better part of the night awake, tried her best to find them, as did the boys. While they had to go home so their parents didn't get suspicious, they used their temporary morphers to keep in touch. Noah, with his laptop, was scanning the city for signs of the missing Samurai. He assumed they had to be somewhere. After hours of looking, the Rangers were too tired to continue. They agreed that when morning came, they would head out and actually search the town. Emma got to sleep for a couple of hours.

Riley hadn't slept. She kept up the screaming and crying all night. It was taking its toll on Vanessa and Claire, and it was testing their patience quite a bit. They would swap in and out overnight, taking turns looking after the little girl so she wouldn't hurt herself. Claire managed to get some breakfast ready for the family and when that was done, Vanessa walked in with a finally exhausted Riley passed out in her arms.

"Holy shit…" Claire whispered when she saw the fight was finally over. Vanessa nodded her head. She wouldn't set Riley down. The little girl had only fallen asleep because she was in safe arms. Vanessa was scared that if she let Riley go, the little girl would wake up and they would be forced into a round two.

"I've seen some bad tantrums before," Vanessa nodded then thanked Claire as she brought over a plate for breakfast. "I've never seen one like this before."

"I guess you can't blame the poor girl," Claire sighed. "I'd go crazy too if something happened to my parents and I was that young."

Vanessa looked down at Riley, gently stroked the girl's back and then started to pick at her food. Claire took a seat at the table as well.

"Emma's up already. She went to the command center. I had her take something for Gia to eat."

"Thanks."

Claire nodded, poked at her food, and then looked back up at Vanessa, "You're the one with experience here. What do we do for the kid? If her parents are in trouble…"

"We'll see if Serena wakes up," Vanessa suggested. "We'll figure out what happened. I guess we should get Riley packed to go home, though."

"Without her parents?"

"I can call someone to pick her and Jesse up?" Gia suggested as she walked into the kitchen. Already her plate was empty. It seemed she was hungry. She set it in the sink and then looked to the mothers. "How is she?"

"I've never seen a bigger meltdown," Claire grumbled and put her head in her hands. Gia turned to her mother, who nodded to agree with Claire.

"Wow, really?"

"The little kid is a fireball," Vanessa said. "We only just got her to sleep now. Speaking of…"

"I got some sleep," Gia nodded her head. "I don't know how much. I wasn't trying for it, but I know I slept."

"Good. And how are you feeling?"

"A little weird still," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "It's not important, though. Serena's awake. She's not really in good shape, but she woke up."

"Does she know what happened?"

"The best I could decipher was that they went after Vrak to get our morphers back," Gia sighed. "I know technically they are a team and had each other's backs, but after what I just learned…"

"Emma said something about Serena feeling a little sick during the monster attack yesterday," Vanessa told her daughter. "She stayed behind with Kevin and Mia and probably started to do a little investigating on their own to find out."

"Trouble always seems to find you Rangers," Claire muttered.

"Either way, Vrak's going to pay for this."

"Gia…"

"I'll be smart about it," Gia rolled her eyes. She leaned back against the counter, "But if Vrak's involved, and Serena's in this bad shape, I don't know if we're finding Mia and Kevin anytime soon."

"Don't think like that, Gia," her mother shook her head.

Gia sighed, "I'm just saying look at the state we found Serena in, mom. There's no way she made it all the way out to the cliffside by herself. And I also know Vrak's got a pet dragon. He'd have chewed me out if it hadn't been for Robo-Knight. If the Samurai were alone against a dragon…" Gia shook her head. She pointed to Riley, "Mom, if Mia and Kevin had a way back home, don't you think they'd be here by now? Wouldn't you?"

Vanessa looked down at Riley and then up at Gia. She nodded her head, "I'd do anything to get back home."

"Facing a dragon, though?" Claire asked. Vanessa looked to her.

"Would you leave Emma at home by herself to worry?"

"Point taken," Claire said.

"We'll try looking for her," Gia said. "I'll tell the team to start looking around for sign of Vrak, or signs of Dr. Dragon, but I have a bad feeling this isn't going to be an easy search. Riley should be at home with her family. She'll be more comfortable there."

Gia walked over to her mother and very gently took Riley in her own arms. "You two look tired. I'll watch her for a couple of hours."

"Gia…"

"It's fine," Gia smiled reassuringly to her mother and Claire. "She's asleep now. I'll call her family and get her and Jesse all packed up. Besides, you two look like Zombies. You'll probably scare her."

Vanessa sighed as she got up from the table. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and told her she could wake her if she ran into trouble. Claire started to clear off the dishes from the table. Gia shook her head.

"Just get some sleep. I'll take care of it."

Claire nodded and dragged her feet to her bedroom. Gia walked to the living room and started to lay Riley down on the couch. The little girl moved and began to wake slowly.

"Mommy…?"

"Gia," she answered her. "It's okay, Riley. We're going to take care of everything."

Riley didn't want to sleep. She sat up. She looked around the room. "Are mommy and daddy home?"

Gia sat next to her on the couch and shook her head, "I'm going to be honest, Riley, I think they're in a lot of trouble."

"No…" Riley shook her head and tears started to come down her face. Gia pulled her into her arms and held her tight.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Gia said. "Isn't your mommy the awesome pink Ranger? And isn't daddy a super blue Ranger? I'm sure they want to come home more than anything."

"I don't want to be adopted again," Riley cried and shook her head. Gia hugged her a little tighter.

"You're not. I'll make sure of it. My team is going to save them, no matter what it takes. It might take a while. You might have to stay with one of your aunts or uncles until we do, but I promise, your parents will come back for you."

"What if you can't?"

"Hey, we're Power Rangers, right?" Gia looked at Riley with a smile, "We always win, right?"

"I want my mommy," Riley shook her head and started to pull away from Gia. She tumbled off the couch, but quickly picked herself up to run. Gia grabbed her arm before she got away and forced her to look at her.

"This is scary, isn't it? Vrak's hurt my parents too. I didn't like it. But he's not going to win, okay? I promise, and cross my heart, your parents are going to be okay."

"Cross your heart?"

"Cross my heart."

"Hope to die?"

"Hope to die."

"Stick a needle in your eye?"

"Stick a thousand million needles in my eyes," Gia said. Riley frowned, looked to her for a minute and then shook her head.

"I don't think a thousand million would fit."

"Are you a smart girl, Riley?"

"Yeah."

"So if I can't fit a thousand million needles in my eye…"

"You can't lie," Riley smirked, "Because if you did, then you would have to stick a thousand million needles."

"I'll get your parents back, I promise."

"Wait," Riley said and then held out her hand and stuck up the pinky, "You have to pinky promise too."

"_And_ a pinky promise?"

"My parents are super special, and Auntie Emy said pinky promises can't ever be broken. So pinky promise you'll save them?"

Gia locked pinkies with Riley, "Pinky promise, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a thousand million needles in my eyes."

Riley nodded her head and then wrapped her arms around Gia. The yellow Ranger lifted her up and sat on the couch with Riley in her lap. She took out her cell phone, "Who do you want to call to pick you up?"

"Auntie Lauren," Riley took Gia's cell phone from her hand and started to dial, "She pinky promised to take care of me if something ever happened to mommy and daddy. And I already know her number."


	57. Riley Goes Home

The Rangers were back in the command center, quietly packing up while Serena rested. Gia had informed them all that Riley had called Lauren to come and pick her and Jesse up, and that while explaining what had happened on the phone, Lauren insisted she take Serena home as well. She promised they had the technology and experience to take care of her. Knowing Serena would be with family and in good hands, the Megaforce Rangers couldn't say no.

Jake saw Gia going through Serena's bag, double checking to make sure the white Ranger hadn't forgotten anything. He could see Gia was struggling to remember what Serena had come with, which wasn't like her at all. While it was a pain for him sometimes, Gia had an excellent memory.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," he promised as he put his hand on her shoulder and then pulled her in for a hug. "You saw for yourself she'll be okay."

"I just… I really want to kick his ass right now," Gia sighed. "He's killed my dad, he's threatened my family, he's beaten up Serena…"

"Vrak's going down, I promise," Jake looked at her and smiled brightly, "We just need to wait for the right moment."

"Twenty bucks says he's got Mia and Kevin just like he's got Dr. Oliver. Who knows what he's going to turn them into. We can barely handle a dragon. Three of his pets…"

"Gia, we're going to be fine," Jake pulled her in for a soft kiss. "We'll let him think he's knocked us down. But we're going to stay strong. When he least expects it, we're going to take him down so hard he'll regret ever setting foot in this universe."

"I guess so," Gia said. She looked down at the bag in her hand and then over to Serena's bed. Jake let her go and then walked over to Troy and Noah, who were standing by the consoles searching the area for a sign of Mia and Kevin. They were all getting on board with Gia's theory that Vrak had captured them, but they weren't going to give up without a fight. If there was anything they could do to track them down, they wanted to do it.

"So?"

"Nothing," Noah shook his head. "Whatever Vrak's doing, he's pretty good. We're going to have to stay on our toes for this one. If Vrak can turn Dr. Oliver into a dragon, we're going to have to be careful with every new monster we face."

"You think he's…"

"Jake, I'm getting no signs of life anywhere," Noah said. "I've done a wide search; I've done a thorough search. Tensou's even tried locating their Samuraizer and cell phone signals. The only thing we haven't done so far is put up missing Samurai posters."

"Can we do that?" Jake asked.

Troy shook his head, "I don't think they'd appreciate that. They aren't dogs, they're people. Friends."

"You could put up missing Jake posters if I disappear," Jake suggested. "Come on, guys, we have to do something. I mean, it's one thing when Vrak attacks one of us, but now he's targeting former Rangers? Retirees? That's low."

"That's very low," Emma said as she walked over. She was holding Jesse in her arms and feeding him his bottle, but managed to point quickly to the corner of the command center, where Riley was sitting by herself hugging a pink Samurai toy to her chest. "She spent the entire night crying. She kept screaming something about not getting adopted again…"

"Riley's birth parents died when Xandred launched his final attack on Panorama City," Troy sighed. "Mia found her a couple weeks later and Riley's been part of the family since. She's probably scared that's going to happen again. I know she is."

Troy made his way over to Riley and sat down next to her, "Riley…"

"Gia already promised she was going to save mommy and daddy," Riley whispered. "I just miss them."

"We are going to bring them back," Troy said. "But if I know your parents, I know they aren't just waiting around. They're doing all they can to come home."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Troy nodded. He pointed to Riley's toy, "You know pink Rangers never give up."

"You wouldn't know that. You're red," Riley frowned at him. "Red Rangers are glory hogs, mommy says."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They get all the cool toys and powers."

"I… what else do they say about red Rangers?"

"I don't know," Riley shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, what does mommy say about pink Rangers?"

"Mommy doesn't talk about herself like that," Riley shook her head.

"What do you think makes a good pink Ranger, then?" Troy asked. "Why is pink the best Ranger colour ever?"

"Because they're pretty," Riley smiled and looked at her toy. "They're nice. They give good hugs. They care about people."

"Do they always win?"

"No. Daddy always beats mommy when they play chess. She can't catch a break!"

Troy chuckled, "I meant do pink Rangers always beat the bad guys?"

"Yeah," Riley nodded. "Pink Rangers are super good. Bad guys can never tell them what to do. They're just that awesome."

"And what about blue Rangers."

"Daddy says blue Rangers always do their best, and they always try to do the right thing. They're loyal… whatever that means."

"That means daddy's going to come home," Troy promised and kissed the top of Riley's head. "I'll make sure of it."

"Of course you will," Riley rolled her eyes. "You're the red Ranger. You have to think you're going to save the day."

Riley got to her feet and then walked over to Emma. She held up her toy, "You keep this."

"Me?"

"Yeah, so you don't forget to look for my mommy," Riley insisted and put the toy in Emma's hands. "You can give it back to me when you bring mommy and daddy home."

"I… I'll take good care of it, Riley, I promise," Emma knelt and pulled Riley into a hug. "She'll be home before you know it."

"No she won't, but I get it," Riley sighed and wrapped her arms around Emma. "By the way, I wanted mommy to win the pink Ranger spar, but now I'm hoping you do. Just promise you won't hurt her?"

"I promise."

"Riles," Gia called and waved the little girl over, "Auntie Lauren just texted me. She's waiting at home."

"What about Auntie Serena?" Riley asked and pointed to the bed.

"Grandpa Ji's going to take her to the special hospital from here. Auntie Lauren's going to take you and Jesse to the Shiba House," Gia picked up Riley's and Serena's bag and then held her hand out for the little girl, "I'll take you back."

"I need my little brother," Riley turned to Emma. The pink Ranger put the young boy in Riley's arms. She made sure the older sister was holding him carefully before she let her go to Gia.

"Riles," Troy called. "You'll take good care of him, right?"

"I'm the world's bestest big sister ever," Riley smiled and then disappeared with Gia and Jesse.

When they reappeared, they were back in the Moran home. Gia took Jesse from Riley's arms. As soon as she gave up her little brother, Riley spotted her aunt Lauren on the couch and ran into her arms. Instantly she began crying again.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo," Lauren said as she lifted the little girl. "They'll come home."

"Everything's packed," Gia said to the red Ranger as she handed her Serena's bag, Riley's bag, and pointed to Mia and Kevin's bag in the front hallway. Lauren nodded her head and then looked Gia right in the eyes.

"Bring my Samurai home."

"I will."

"If anything happens to them…"

"I'll stick a thousand million needles in my eyes," Gia touched Riley's back and smiled softly at the little girl, "Right?"

"Gia promised," Riley looked up at her aunt. "She'll bring them home. I trust her."

"I trust her too," Lauren smiled. She set Riley down, "Auntie Ally is waiting in the car. Why don't you take your bag out and join her?"

Riley nodded, took her bag from her aunt and started to run for the driveway. Lauren picked up Jesse in his carrier and then gathered up the rest of the bags. Gia followed her as she made her way out.

"Lauren, I'm really sorry…"

"It's not your fault," Lauren shook her head. "We're Rangers. We help each other out, no matter what. I just wish we knew more about what they did."

"Serena's remembering pieces," Gia said. "It's a little tough putting them together, but as she recovers we might be able to figure it out."

"Let's just hope it'll come with good news. We'll do what we can from our end, but please…"

"We'll find them."

"Please," Lauren begged again. "I'd do anything for Mia and Kevin, and I love Riley and Jesse to death, but I'm not ready for kids. Bring them home."

"I promise," Gia smiled. Lauren nodded her head, let out a little sigh and then turned to leave.


	58. A Truly Mega Mission

The following morning, the Rangers were in the command center. They brought all they needed for their next mission. They hoped it wouldn't take them long, but they really weren't sure.

Dr. Oliver, Kevin, and Mia were all prisoners of Vrak. When Serena returned to the Rangers badly beaten, the Megaforce team assumed that Kevin and Mia not coming home meant that for some reason they couldn't. They assumed Vrak had his hands on them and he had done to them what he had done to Dr. Oliver. The Megaforce Rangers knew they had to save their friends and quickly, before Vrak could do all he wanted to them.

"You have plenty of water?" Tensou asked as he ran over the list Gia brought from Vanessa. She and Claire technically weren't allowed in the command center and had already said their goodbyes to the girls for however long they would be gone, but Vanessa, as expected, wanted to be extremely sure everything would go as smoothly as possible. She made Gia give Tensou a list of items she had written down so he could make sure the Rangers would have all they needed for the mission.

"Loads," Gia nodded her head.

"You've brought the snacks your mother packed…"

"Water, snacks, blankets, a first aid kit in each of our bags, a change of clothes, a towel, a hat, sunscreen, a sweater in case is gets cold, sunglasses in case it's sunny, and Jake's got a tent packed up in his bag for shelter. We've also got matches and lighters to start a fire, flashlights, spare batteries, cell phones, our morphers… am I forgetting anything?"

Tensou threw the list over his shoulder and sighed, "No…"

"Try living with her," Emma said as she put her bag on her shoulders and made sure it was still light enough for her to walk easily. "Don't even get into a _I said, you said_ fight with her. You can't win."

Gia stuck out her tongue and smirked. Noah leaned into Jake.

"Seriously? A normal wife is already trouble enough, apparently."

"She's worth it, dude," Jake nodded his head and then lifted his bag. He frowned when he noticed his felt so much heavier on his back then it seemed the bags were for the others, "Dude…"

"Aren't you the team muscle?" Emma said as she turned to Jake. "You have the tent, remember?"

"Why do I have the tent?" Jake whined and looked through his bag, seeing if he really needed everything he was carrying. "Can't we just come home after sunset? You know, sleep in our beds?"

"Jake, we can't keep searching from square one," Troy shook his head. "Vrak's got our friends somewhere and we need to find them fast."

"And it's better we stay away from the city," Gia pointed out. "I've faced Dr. Dragon. We need the team to beat him. If Vrak plans on doing to Kevin and Mia like he did Dr. Oliver… it's going to be a lot of power. We can't let people get hurt."

"So I have to carry the heavy bag?" Jake asked. Gia rolled her eyes and held out her bag to trade with him. Jake frowned. He couldn't let his girlfriend carry the heavy bag. He couldn't let a girl carry the heavy bag. His male pride was on the line now. He put the bag on his back, made sure it was secured with the straps and then shrugged, "I don't have a problem with it… I was just saying…"

Gia chuckled and put her bag back on.

"Alright," Troy said as he looked around to his teammates, "We all know the plan. Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Goodall agreed to cover with our parents if this mission takes more than a couple of days. Jake, Noah, you remembered to tell your parents you would be spending a lot of time away from the house."

"Leaving early, home late," Noah said. "I told my parents I was working on a science project with Emma."

"I told my dad I would be going to school early to practice for next season," Jake said, "And I'd be spending the evenings with Gia."

"Rebecca promised to tell our parents she was seeing us in school," Troy announced. "I even talked to Ms. Chesterfield. She'll have homework completed in case our parents come in to ask about us. As far as they're concerned, we're going to school and spending a lot of time at Gia and Emma's homes. All we need to do is send our parents text messages so they don't worry, and answer our phones as much as possible."

"Or tell them you're Rangers," Gia said and Emma chuckled.

"I told mom I was going on a mission to save my friends from evil alien clutches."

"Rub it in," Jake rolled his eyes.

"We're going out on a mission to find our friends," Troy said. "We're going to search the obvious places first, like Bluefur and Bigs' hideout and inside the chemical plant. If they're there, we have to be ready for a fight."

"A tough one," Gia said. "Vrak's done something to Dr. Oliver. He won't hold back again us, and even if he did, I don't think it would be much help for us. He's pretty tough."

"If they aren't there, we make as much noise as we can, but we stay away from the city," Troy continued to explain the plan. "We want to draw Vrak, the mutants, and as much trouble to us as possible."

"Wait, so we're not going home until…"

"Just until we get our friends back," Troy assured Noah. "We can't afford it. Vrak's taken them to defeat us. We can't let that kind of power get into the city. As we search, we'll mark places where we'll camp for the night, and we'll mark places where we'll retreat if things get ugly. We need to do everything we can to save Dr. Oliver, Mia, and Kevin, but we can't risk our lives."

For this next part, Troy hoped he looked confident and brave, because his mind and every part of his body felt weak, pathetic, and traitorous. "We're the Megaforce Rangers. We're the current team. We have all our powers. We have all the weapons, and we have the most experience fighting Vrak and the mutants. Our lives are more important. No one, I repeat no one sacrifices themselves for Dr. Oliver, Kevin, or Mia. It's too much of a risk and too much of a loss for all of Earth if we do so. Am I understood?"

"Dude, that's heavy," Jake frowned.

"We do all we can to save them but die. Am I understood?" Troy asked again. His teammates all nodded their heads. Troy paid special attention to Gia's answer. She sighed, rolled her eyes, and nodded her head again.

"Yes!"

"Alright, good," he said. "Are we ready to go?"

"Good luck, Rangers!" Tensou called and waved goodbye to the team as they headed out of the command center. Then he let out a worried sigh and turned around to Gosei. "I wish there was more we can do to help."

"There is," Gosei said and Troy's console lit up. Tensou rolled over to it and had a look.

"What is this?"

"Follow the blueprints, Tensou. I promise, it will be worth all your time and effort, and will be crucial to the team's survival and future victories."

"Ooh, looks interesting," Tensou downloaded the blueprints into his memory and then rolled off to the other room. "I'll get to work on it right away!"


	59. Wasted Wastelands

Emma wasn't quite sure what to expect from their mission. They hoped it would be quick and easy, but were packed for a long, rough trip away. Since Vrak had now kidnapped their teacher and two of the Samurai Rangers, the Megaforce team needed to do all they could to rescue their friends. Vrak had already managed to turn Dr. Oliver into a very frightful, very powerful dragon. There was no telling what he would do with the Samurai, and the Rangers didn't want to find out. The faster they could get to their friends, the less time Vrak would have to get his master plan rolling.

The Rangers decided they would start with the obvious places. Vrak already made it clear her had used the mutants' technology to change Dr. Oliver so their hideout was the first place the Rangers would look. However, upon reaching the borders of the shutdown chemical plant, the Rangers noticed the ground was no longer the same. All the tunnels that used to be hidden underground had collapsed, destroying the hideout. It seemed the mutants and Vrak, if he was aligned with them for this, had to flee.

"What do you think did this?" Jake asked as he looked through the chain linked fence. Emma started to climb over it, curious about what could have caused the cave in.

"I don't remember hearing about any earthquakes," Troy shook his head and turned to Noah. The blue Ranger already had his laptop out, ready to look up any strange activity in the city. He felt very fortunate Tensou had upgraded his laptop to help him and the others out on missions. He no longer needed regular internet and Wi-Fi. He was connected to Tensou and Gosei's systems back at the command center, and they were linked to every machine in the world. Whatever Noah wanted, he could find. All he needed were a few passcodes, which were always either easy or fun to decipher.

"Actually, an earthquake was measured in this area," Noah said but he seemed to be looking at his screen with a curious frown. "This area only. Magnitude of ten."

"Ten?" Jake asked and whistled, "Damn."

"And we felt nothing?" Troy asked.

"More importantly, the chemical plant is still standing," Gia said and pointed a little ways off, to the chemical plant responsible for the creation of the mutants. "If an earthquake that strong hit, that plant wouldn't stand a chance."

"You guys are forgetting what the Samurai are capable of, right?" Emma said as she dropped on the other side of the fence and looked over at her friends to roll her eyes. "The most powerful earthquake measurable was isolated only to the area of the mutants' hideout and was only recorded on documents so secret Noah had to look them up using Tensou Technology, and the first thought that pops in your minds is, 'wow, that's a powerful earthquake'?"

"Saying Serena was responsible for this was too obvious," Noah responded to Emma with a knowing grin. She rolled her eyes again.

"Well, I guess we know what happened to her. She's lucky she got out of here alive. If she was desperate enough to use that much power…"

"Dudes, maybe she killed Vrak and the mutants!"

"As much as I love that thought," Gia said while shaking her head, "I'd rather not. If Vrak and the mutants couldn't make it out of here, there's no way Mia and Kevin could."

"Or Dr. Oliver," Noah added. Gia put her hand on his shoulder.

"Dr. Oliver is a freaking dragon, Noah. Maybe it's not registering because you haven't seen it, but dragon. Dragon. Dra-gon!"

"I get it," Noah nodded and put his laptop in his bag so he could start climbing the fence. "We can think about what happened all we want, we'll never know for sure until we find out for ourselves. Someone boost me up."

"You really need to pay more attention in gym class," Jake said as he started to lift his best friend over the fence. Emma, as she waited for her friends to join her, started to search the grounds alone. She jumped down into a pit that used to be a room in the mutants' hideout and sighed. Already she had the feeling there wouldn't be a sign of them anywhere. Their base was as salvageable as her relationship with the paternal side of her family; biological or Goodall.

"There's nothing here," she shook her head when she heard the others coming up behind her. "No mutants, no Vrak…"

"No mutants… at all," Troy pointed out as he looked around. "Don't they live here too? Wouldn't they live here too?"

"I... you'd think," Emma climbed out of the pit and had another look around. The chemical plant always looked deserted, but she had to assume there must have been more creatures than just Bigs and Bluefur that would be hiding around underground. If an earthquake destroyed their home, and they managed to escape, she was sure they would be lurking around, doing their best to make a new home, or at the very least come into the city in a rage.

"Trick or treat!" Jake said and suddenly she felt something tap her shoulder. She looked to see what he wanted but all she saw was a big, hairy, bloodied hand touching her. She let out a scream and jumped back. She grabbed Gia and pushed her towards the hand.

"I prefer volunteering my own life for sacrifice," Gia muttered to Emma while she took the hand away from Jake. "Please don't scare her like that. I don't like finding out I don't mean as much to her as she always says."

"Sorry," Emma muttered sheepishly.

"I couldn't resist," Jake chuckled. Gia smacked him lightly with it before turning to Troy.

"Do you think this means…?"

"We're not making assumptions," Troy said. "Assumptions can get us killed. We'll ask Tensou to do a thorough search of the plant, inside and out, to see what's left.

"Twenty bucks says it's nothing," Jake kicked aside a couple of pebbles on the ground where he found the severed hand. "Mutants don't just lose hands, you know."

"Unless they're zombies," Noah smirked.

"The mutants are animals, not Zombies," Gia rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Alright, we won't assume Serena's earthquake killed them all, but some must have been taking care of, right?"

"Hopefully," Jake nodded his head.

"Alright, I had Tensou do a scan," Troy said as he put his morpher back in his pocket. "There's no sign of life around here, anywhere."

"Anywhere?" Jake asked with a little smirk. Gia picked up the mutant's severed hand and smacked him with it again.

"I just want to have a look around," Gia said to her teammates as she headed towards the spot that used to be the main room of the mutants' hideout. "I want to make sure we're not missing something that they maybe left behind. We can use all we can to help track down the others."

"I'll go with you," Troy said as he followed her out. Noah took out his laptop again so he could do his own scan. He trusted Tensou, but he liked seeing information for himself, just to be sure nothing was missed. A robot's scans and the human mind works differently and so it was best to take full advantage of both systems.

After a while, Emma saw Troy and Gia were headed back and asked them if they found anything.

"Nothing," Gia answered her. "Anything that was left behind is in worse shape than whoever owned that arm."

"On the bright side, all the mutants' tech is gone," Troy said as he held up a piece of metal that seemed to belong to the machine he, Emma, and Rebecca had been connected to when the mutants kidnapped them.

"Depends," Noah said as he took the metal piece, "on whether or not Vrak still needs that technology. If he's moved on to something bigger, we could be in for big trouble."

"So, we came out all this way and we have no idea what we're facing still?" Emma asked with a sigh.

"We know we're not facing this guy," Jake picked up the hand and placed it on Emma's shoulder. She glared at it, then looked over to Gia, who nodded.

Next thing Jake knew, he was on his stomach on the ground and spitting out dirt. Gia knelt before him and tapped his head.

"When you do stupid things, I can't take your side," she offered her hand to help him up. "Stop using the severed mutated animal's hand to scare the animal-loving vegetarian and let's get moving."


	60. Camping

The day progressed with no results. The mutants' home had been left in ruins by what the Rangers assumed was an attack from Serena. There was no sign of them or of Vrak, and absolutely no sign of his three pets. Night was setting in, the Rangers were getting tired, and so they had no choice but to set up camp.

"We're all sharing this one tent, right?" Jake asked as he looked over at Gia, who was helping him to set up the tent while Troy, Noah, and Emma were out getting firewood so they could cook some dinner and have some heat.

"We just had the one at home," Gia nodded. "Besides, it's probably safer if we're all together. Camping's not safe when you're out looking for evil."

"Good point," Jake said. He pressed a stake into the ground to secure the tent and then stepped back to admire his work, "Got to say, that's not bad."

"Nice tent, guys," Emma smiled as she and the two boys returned with the firewood. "Jake, let's see if you can keep up that manliness by making a nice fire."

"Watch the master at work," Jake smirked and walked over to where the Rangers all agreed was a safe place for the fire pit and he started to dig. Gia began to set up the sleeping bags in the tent while Troy got started on preparing the food so it would be ready to cook once Jake set up the fire. Noah found a log and sat down to get started on another scan with his laptop. He hoped he would find where Vrak was hiding Dr. Oliver, Mia, and Kevin soon. The longer they took to find them, the worse off their friends would be.

Emma sat down beside him and sighed, "Normally I love camping."

"What's different this time?" Noah asked her. She gave him a strange look and then gestured around.

"Camping is about relaxing. Going back to basics. Remembering what's really important. We're on a mission."

"That does change the feel of it a little," Noah said with a little shrug, "Not that I would really know. Camping wasn't exactly a favourite of mine."

"Joe loved camping."

"Mr. Moran?"

Emma nodded her head and looked over at the fire preparations with a smile, "We'd go every summer for a weekend when my parents we on vacation. Joe's favourite thing to do was take us out fishing."

"You fish?"

"No," Emma chuckled. "While Joe and Gia would fish, I would feed the worms to the fish by dropping them in the water. I didn't understand why we needed to hurt the fish with hooks."

"It's to catch the fish," Noah answered. Emma smiled.

"Yeah, I know that now. But Joe would always release the fish he caught, so it made no sense to me. It'd be like sticking a hook in your hamburger."

"I guess that is a little stupid when you think of it that way," Noah said. He put away his laptop and then turned to Emma, "You know what gets me, though."

"What?"

"You'd feed poor little helpless worms to fish?"

"One, it's the life cycle. Two, Joe always called them bait," Emma said. "The year I found out bait were real live worms, I threw I fit. I tipped the canoe. Joe, Gia, and I all went in the water."

"There's the Emma we know and love," Noah chuckled. He saw light coming from where Jake and Troy were sitting and was glad to see his best friend managed to get the fire started. He stood up, "I'm hungry. You coming?"

Emma nodded her head and smiled as she and Noah joined Jake and Troy around the fire so they could all get their dinner started.

Meanwhile, inside the tent, Gia had just finished setting up the sleeping bags for everyone and knew the fire had been started but couldn't bring herself to leave the tent. She had overheard Emma telling Noah about their camping trips and kids and that had been exactly the last thing she wanted to think about while on the trip. She had tried forgetting that their tent was the one her father used to bring while camping, or that the sleeping bag she and Jake would be sleeping in belonged to her parents.

After a while of sitting in the tent, she heard someone tap the side and looked over to see Jake coming in. He had a plate of beans and vegetables with him which he offered to her.

"You're not coming out to eat?"

"Dad's tent," Gia said. "Emma told Noah a camping story and it got me thinking."

"That just means he's here with us," Jake assured her.

Gia took the plate and sighed, "Yeah… I guess."

"You know we're going to beat Vrak. We'll save our friends, kick his ass, and he'll regret the day he ever laid eyes on the Earth."

"And if we don't?"

"Hey, we will," Jake put his arm around her, "I promise. I'll bet your dad's looking forward to the day. He's probably up there with a bowl of popcorn…"

"Chips. When we'd watch movies I'd have popcorn, he'd always eat chips."

"Alright, well he's probably got a massive bowl of chips and he's watching us and just waiting for the scene where we show Vrak what we're made of."

"Jake…"

"Nothing's going to happen to our friends," Jake looked her right in the eyes with a reassuring smile, "I promise. Vrak's not hurting anyone else. Not on our watch. Tomorrow, we'll search high and low."

Gia let out a deep breath and then nodded her head. She was about to start eating her dinner but then frowned and looked back at Jake, "Mom should have packed us something else for the mission."

"What do you mean? It's delicious. Emma's a wiz in in the campfire kitchen."

"Jake, we're sharing a tent tonight, the five of us, and we're eating beans. Hasn't anyone told you the rhyme?"

"Rhyme?"

"Beans, beans, the musical fruit…"

"Oh yeah! The more you eat, the more you… Oh… Well, if we can survive tonight, we'll definitely have it in us to destroy Vrak once and for all."

"Either way, I'm not going to contribute to the horned orchestra tonight," Gia ate just the vegetables and then put her food away. "By the way, Emma's sleeping on the other side of the tent."

"Noah too," Jake nodded.

"So it's settled. We'll use Troy as a barrier."

"Deal," Jake chuckled and then high-fived Gia. Then he led her out of the tent, "C'mon, it's a nice night. Just because we're on a mission doesn't mean we can't relax and have fun."


	61. One On One

Beans were definitely a mistake on this night, but they weren't what kept Noah up so late. The other Rangers in the tent were sound asleep, and by the looks of it they were comfortably asleep. Emma seemed right at home in her sleeping bag and curled up on the ground. Troy seemed a little stiff, but he had passed out so quickly once his head hit his pillow Noah was sure he was enjoying the rest. And Jake and Gia were curled up in each other's arms, warm and comfortable for the night.

Noah couldn't sleep. It wasn't the smell in the tent, nor was it the fact that out in the woods he just wasn't comfortable like Emma. Before going to bed he checked the scans on his laptop and he had noticed some strange activity on the map in his location. A part of him was hoping it was Vrak and his friends. Another part hoped it was just a mistake. Really, no one was ready to face Vrak, Dr. Oliver as a dragon, and two Samurai, especially if Vrak did to them as he did to Dr. Oliver.

The signals started off far from the campsite, but Noah couldn't help but think about what would happen if they got closer. He had been watching his laptop for hours now and unfortunately the signal was slowly getting closer and closer to the campsite. Eventually, Noah reached into his bag and took out his morpher.

"Tensou? Gosei. Wake up. I need a big scan done."

"What are we searching for?" Tensou answered.

"I've got a signal popping up on my laptop. I can't identity it. Is there anything you can tell me about it?"

There was a pause on the other end before Tensou came back, "It's something. You should wake the Rangers. The power is incredible. Stay safe, blue Ranger."

"I'll do my best," Noah put away his laptop but he kept his morpher in his hand. He reached to Troy and Emma first to wake them and then proceeded to wake Gia and Jake.

"There's been a signal on my sensors for a few hours now," he said as they woke up slowly. "It's getting closer and Tensou said it looks powerful."

"We should check it out," Troy said and peeled the sleeping bag off himself as he crawled out of the tent. The other Rangers were right behind him. Without having to be told, they each morphed and started to look around.

"I don't see anything, dude," Jake shook his head. "Are you sure…"

"I've been up all night," Noah answered. "There was definitely a signal. Something is coming this way. Something big."

"We need to be careful. Stick together. We don't want to…" Troy was cut off as something flew past the Rangers. It knocked them to the ground but grabbed Troy and lifted him high off his feet. The Rangers picked themselves up and looked to the sky. They couldn't see much in the night, but the moon and the stars were bright enough to light up the large figure with a large wingspan and a tail flying around above the trees, holding Troy in its arms.

"Dr. Oliver," Gia said and then had a look around the woods. "They're here."

Dr. Oliver took off with Troy somewhere deeper into the woods. The Rangers were about to follow when they noticed shadows in their path. They came to a stop, morphers at the ready for the Ultra Mode, which they were sure they were going to need.

"Took you a while to show up," Gia growled and she slowly recognized Vrak's shape in the dark. He was standing in the middle of what looked like his army. On one side of him she recognized Bigs and Bluefur and on the other side she could make out another silhouette of a dragon and… she wasn't sure what the other shape was, but she knew these two monsters were Kevin and Mia.

"I hope you don't mind," Vrak answered. He stepped closer to the Rangers and they could see there was something in his hands. "The aurora box gave my pets a little trouble. It was all worth it, though."

"The aurora box?" Jake asked. "That sounds… not good."

"This new weapon," Vrak held up the box for the Rangers to see, "Is my newest toy. After failure after failure against you Rangers, I realized I needed to find a way to increase my power to a level none of you could possible handle. You stole the Wild Sword from me, so I went to retrieve something even more powerful…"

If you're going to do that whole thing where you reveal your plan and how we're screwed, can we skip that?" Gia asked. "Your little dragon kind of took off with our red Ranger."

"Well, you little Ranger friend destroyed our home!" Bigs shouted to the Rangers. "You ruined our land, killed all our kind! You're going to pay for what you've done!"

"We were only too happy to help Vrak with the transformation of your friends after that," Bluefur stated and pointed to the Kevin and Mia monsters. "Let's see how you like it when it's your species being mutated!"

"We haven't just mutated them," Vrak said with a smirk, "The aurora box has increased their strength a hundred times! You Rangers don't stand a…"

"Are you done?" Gia asked. "Can we just get on with the action? I think we're all ready for some action."

"For once, we agree," Vrak said and snapped his fingers. Kevin, now as a dragon, flapped his wings and suddenly started flying at an incredible speed towards the Rangers. Just like Dr. Oliver had done with Troy, the dragon Kevin knocked the Rangers down but swooped Noah up in his arms to carry him away."

"HEY!" Jake shouted as he started to run after the two blue Rangers, only to be stopped when Bigs stood in his path. Jake summoned his Ultra Mode and glared at the big blob of monster angrily, "You made a big mistake."

"You made a big mistake, Ranger!" Bigs shouted. "You destroyed everything we loved!"

"Dude, I'd have been perfectly happy letting you live in your little land of waste. You're the one who attacked us, remember!"

"Prepare for the end!" Bigs shouted as he lunged for Jake.

The girls stood in their same spots, glaring over at the opponents still left. It was Bluefur, Vrak, and Mia, who Emma was starting to see resembled a turtle. However, that wasn't her biggest concern. Noah and Troy had been whisked away by dragons and Jake already had his hands full with Bigs. There were only two Rangers left and three opponents.

"We're outnumbered…" Emma whispered to Gia. The yellow Ranger didn't need to be told.

"You get that box. Destroy it. I'll try to hold the three of them off."

"Gia…"

"Do you see a better plan?" Gia asked Emma and transformed quickly into Ultra Mode, "Because if you do, please tell me. I'm all ears."

Suddenly there was a blast that came from behind Vrak, Bluefur and Mia which took the three of them out. Emma and Gia shielded their eyes and when the blast was over they looked out to see Robo-Knight had come.

"You!" Bluefur shouted and jumped to his feet as he selected the Robo-Knight to be his opponent. Gia breathed a sigh of relief. Now, worst-case scenario, Vrak stayed it was an even match.

"I can take Vrak," Emma said but Gia shook her head.

"That's nice of you, but Riley was promised a pink Ranger duel."

"Gia…"

"I'll keep a calm head, I swear," Gia looked to Emma and nodded. "I won't let him play me. I'm not vulnerable anymore. And I'm a stronger fighter than you."

"Mia's a Samurai…"

"You're both pink Rangers. You've fought together. You know her better than I do. You have a better chance."

Emma sighed but nodded her head. She held out her sword and pointed it at Mia to take on the turtle. Before she charged, she whispered to Gia, "Please don't be stupid."

"I know better," Gia promised before glaring at Vrak. He chuckled when he saw he was left to challenge her.

"Who would have thought it would come to this?" he taunted her but Gia didn't listen. Her grip did tighten around her Ultra Sword, but only because she didn't want to see him win.

As long as she and her friends were all alive at the end of this fight, he wouldn't win.

And she knew his habits. He had the aurora box in his hands. It was his newest toy. She could see the way he held it. If she could get it and destroy it, he would do like he always did and flee. Vrak was scared of true confrontation. He liked to hide behind his weapons, his gadgets, and his monsters.

Now, she had the upper hand.

-Megaforce-

Ungracefully, Troy was dropped from a great distance and he landed on the ground. His suit took most of the fall but not all of it. He barely managed to pick himself up when he felt the ground shake from Dr. Oliver landing on his feet. Gia hadn't been exaggerating. He was a big dragon. Troy powered up into Ultra Mode. He knew he had to do everything to help his friend, but his first concern was staying alive. He hoped he could accomplish both.

"Dr. Oliver," he held out his sword just in case, but he only wanted to fight if he had to. He saw the dragon preparing to come at him again and took a step back. "Dr. Oliver, I know you're in there. It's me, Troy. Your student. The red Ranger. Remember me? Remember who you are?"

Dr. Oliver let out a loud cry and lunged for Troy, who had no choice but to defend himself with all the strength he had.

-Megaforce-

Noah landed and immediately started to run. The dragon Kevin flew after him, but he was so big he had a hard time making his way through the trees. Eventually, Noah found a little opening against a cliffside and squeezed his way in. Dragon Kevin was too big to reach him but Noah had no way out.

"How did I get stuck with a dragon?" Noah muttered to himself and powered up to Ultra Mode. He knew he was going to need a plan, though. His ability to fight had increased dramatically since becoming a Ranger, but realistically there was no way he could win in a fight against a Samurai, never mind one who was now a dragon and had his strength increased a hundred times.

"A plan," he said to himself as he looked around the small hiding place he had found for something to help him. "A plan… a good plan. I need a really, really good plan…"


	62. Dragons, Turtles, Mutants, Rangers, Oh M

Jake was locked in a ferocious battle with Bigs. What the mutant lacked in speed, he certainly made up for in strength. But Jake wouldn't let up. He had his friends had come all this way to help Dr. Oliver, Mia, and Kevin, and he was going to make sure the job was done today. If it was at all possible, Jake was going to make sure the mutants were destroyed once and for all. Serena had already killed the others and ruined their home. Jake knew if he didn't stop them now it would only be worse.

His Ultra Sword was ripped from his hands, but he had his Snake Axe at the ready, which was a bit of a blessing for him as he preferred his Axe over his Sword and felt he was much stronger with it. While Bigs laughed at the fact that he thought Jake was now unarmed he failed to see the Axe coming his way and was struck across his body and thrown back into a tree.

"What have you done to our friends?" Jake shouted as he threw himself at Bigs once again. He would refuse to give his enemy a moment to breathe or think. It was a play that always worked well for him in soccer, and he had learned it worked well on the battlefield. By pressuring his opponent, he could force him to make mistakes, and Jake could get the advantage he needed.

"You'll never know!" Bigs cried back. "We've given them the power of the Aurora Box! Even if you could defeat me, your friends don't stand a chance!"

Jake looked over just for a minute. Emma was a little ways off, getting her ass handed to her by what he know knew was a turtle Mia. Just like Bigs, the turtle was slow, but she had a shell protecting her that seemed indestructible. Anytime Emma tried to hit Mia, the attack would bounce off her shell and sometimes it would go right back at Emma.

"And the dragons are worse," Bigs teased and Jake was knocked right off his feet.

Emma, meanwhile, felt Mia kick her in the stomach and doubled over just before she was grabbed and slammed into the dirt. Her Ultra Mode disappeared but she was fortunately still morphed. Looking up, she saw Mia wanted to strike down on her against and held up her Phoenix Shot to block the attack. But Mia smashed the weapon and struck Emma in the chest. Her Phoenix Shot disappeared, needing repairs, and she powered down again. Mia had to recover. Though it had been her attack, the ground was unforgiving. Emma was sore, but managed to sit up and slowly crawl away. It didn't take long for Mia to be ready to fight again and Emma had to move quickly to avoid taking another hit. When she did, Mia caught hold of her sweater and ripped it off.

Then something fell out of the sweater. Emma noticed it first and couldn't stop herself from having to dive for it, but Mia was just a little faster. She didn't see it fall but she stepped on it and let out a cry as she lifted her foot to see what had hurt her. Emma took this time to pick up the toy of the pink Samurai Ranger but now she was right under the turtle Mia. She curled up into a ball as much as possible, knowing Mia would take this time to finish her off, but no attack came.

-Megaforce-

Troy knew he had to fight Dr. Oliver, but the battle wasn't easy. He was in his Ultra Mode, which gave him a little bit of strength, but it seemed the dragon was not only bigger, but stronger, faster, and maybe even smarter. Troy was knocked left, right, up and down, and before he could fully recover he was pushed around the again. The only thing he had going for himself was that he wouldn't give up the fight. However, Dr. Oliver didn't seem close to quitting either, and given he was winning, there was really no reason. Troy thought, and hoped, that there was one thing he could do to stop the dragon and that was to remind him of who he really was.

Troy had already talked to Dr. Oliver of his past as a Ranger. He knew enough from his dreams and from the stories Dr. Oliver liked to tell. Now he was busy talking to the dragon about school, how Dr. Oliver was his teacher, and in many ways his Ranger mentor. He hoped he could get through to the man inside the dragon.

"You have to remember what happened!" Troy shouted as he was picked up by the dragon's big hands and had the life almost squeezed out of him. With every breath he continued to talk, "Vrak put a collar… around Gia… It's the same collar you have around you now! … He was going to… kill her! He was going to… He wanted a pet! You're not a pet! Dr. Oliver… you're…"

The spots in Troy's eyes were getting bigger. He powered down to Ranger mode, and then out of the suit completely. Just as he felt himself starting to slump into lifelessness the dragon dropped him. Troy gasped for breathe and something touched his shoulder. He made out who it was.

"Coach…"

"Conner," Conner smiled at him, "And I may not have my powers, but I brought someone who does. You might want to cover your ears."

"Why would I…" Troy asked and then he heard it. A piercing scream, louder than one he heard before. He clutched his head and let out a cry of pain, but before closing his eyes he saw a yellow blur flying towards Dr. Oliver and taking him down. The dragon, like Troy, was already immobilized and hurt by the piecing scream, which gave the yellow Ranger a solid advantage.

-Megaforce-

Gia didn't want to fight Vrak. She knew she couldn't take him. She knew she needed her teammates. So instead, she focused on the Aurora Box. She wanted to get it out of his hands. She wanted to destroy it, before Vrak could use it to cause any more harm to the people she cared about. With her Ultra Sword in hand she swung at Vrak and when he took a step back and hit the tree she quickly swapped out her Sword for Her Tiger Claw. Vrak tried to get out of the way but her Tiger Claw pinned his harm that was holding the box and he was forced to let it go.

Gia dove for the box. She grabbed it and held it to her chest as Vrak set upon her in a rage. Gia was grateful for the Ultra Mode, as it gave her a little more strength to put up with Vrak's attacks.

But she wasn't stupid. When Vrak set upon her she held up the box right at a time where he couldn't stop himself and he destroyed the box on his own. She knew that would anger him more, but at least now the box was destroyed and she had nothing to fight for except her own life.

"I can still make a tiger out of you!" Vrak cried as he grabbed her around the neck and pulled her up to her feet. A little ways off, Emma was no longer caught up in her battle with Mia. She had been certain that going after Riley's pink Samurai Ranger toy would give the turtle the opening she needed to finish her off, but Mia hadn't made a move.

Seeing her best friend was in trouble, and seeing she had a chance to help her, Emma dropped Riley's toy to jump to her feet, morph, and she slashed Vrak across the back with her Ultra Sword. He let out a cry of pain and wore a look of anger still when he saw he was now alone in a two on one battle against the Rangers. He didn't like those numbers, but they didn't make him uncomfortable. He could fight two Rangers. He could win easily. He picked up his weapon and was about to continue the fight when something tackled him and took him clean off his feet. When he looked up he saw turtle Mia standing over him in rage.

"Pet! I command you to…"

"I am not your pet!" Mia cried. She retreated into her shell and then smashed herself into Vrak several times until he was whimpering painfully. Mia backed away and Vrak suddenly disappeared.

"As soon as things turn," Gia said with a smile as she and Emma leaned into each other, "Vrak decides he's not sticking around."

Gia then looked over to Emma, "I told you you'd do fine against Mia."

"I didn't do anything," Emma shook her head. Mia turned around to the girls and showed them Riley's toy in her hand. She looked worried.

"What happened? Why do you have this? Where's my daughter?"

"Riley's fine," Gia promised. "We sent her home with Lauren."

"She's okay?"

"She misses her mommy," Gia smiled.

"And her dad," Emma added. She walked over to Mia with a bit of hesitation. The former pink Ranger was still in her mutated form, and Emma knew she couldn't be too careful. "Do you know what happened to you? How to reverse this?"

"I don't remember anything," Mia shook her head. She looked down at herself and sighed, "I guess I don't want to remember. But my kids, Riley, she's probably terrified. You have to help…"

"We are," Gia promised. "But first, we're going to get the rest of you back. Dr. Oliver and Kevin…"

"Kevin?" Mia growled and a dark look returned to her face, "What happened to Kevin?"

"Vrak transformed him too," Emma said and felt Gia grab her arm and pull her back. By now she was sure Mia could be trusted, but with that look there was still no being too careful. Mia let out a little growl and then took off running deeper into the woods. Emma wanted to follow but Gia continued to hold her arm. When Emma turned to see why Gia would stop her, she saw the yellow Ranger looking the opposite way. Jake was still locked in a rough battle with Bigs.

"What do you say?" Gia asked as she pulled out her blaster, "Double team him?"

"He won't know what hit him," Emma nodded her head and grabbed her own blaster. As they took aim, Gia called out to Jake to duck. The black Ranger glanced over his shoulder, saw the girls had their blasters locked on him and Bigs and dove for cover as they shot. He heard an explosion and felt the heat of the fire burn near him. When he looked up, Gia was by his side.

"That worked!" she smiled and pulled him into a hug.

"I weakened him," Jake shrugged his shoulders and wrapped his arms around her. Emma rolled her eyes behind her helmet.

"Guys, aren't you forgetting what always happens after we win round one?" she asked and behind her Bigs came back as a mega monster. Then, a little ways off in the woods, the Rangers noticed a giant Bluefur towering over them as well.

"Looks like Robo-Knight won too," Gia commented as Bluefur and Bigs were suddenly joined in their massive forms by Robo-Knight's Megazord. "He can't do this alone. We have to help him…"

"Troy and Noah…"

"We can't make the Megazord," Gia said as she summoned her Tiger Zord, "but we can lend a hand with our Zords. Robo-Knight needs all the help he can get, and we can't leave Bigs and Bluefur running around like this. Troy and Noah are good. They'll find a way out of their own messes. Let's go!"

-Megaforce-

Noah normally liked being able to come up with plans, but he didn't mind when the plans came to him. Kevin, as a dragon, in his attempt to grab Noah out of his hiding place wedged within the cliffside, started to beat into the rocky wall and when he reached his hand in, a large boulder fell down and crushed his arm, pinning him down. Noah climbed the top of the boulder, and while he could see Kevin would be able to work his way out eventually, he had a little time now to come up with something to at least slow the dragon down until help would come.

Using his power cards, Noah summoned a jet of water and started to carve into the cliff. He carved out rocks quickly and dropped them repeatedly onto the dragon's head. At first it enraged Kevin, but the more rocks fell, the more they started to take effect. Noah was sure Kevin's dragon skull was thick enough to protect him from severe damage, but his plan was working to slow him down. Eventually, when Kevin did free his arm, he was a little disoriented and his first attack on Noah missed. The blue Ranger also noticed that Kevin's arm seemed to be broken.

"Brains one, brute strength zero," Noah smiled to himself as he pointed his Shark Bowgun at Kevin and fired. Kevin was shot back into the cliffside and Noah continued to back away, "But I will give chance some credit to my success."

Suddenly, Kevin let out a powerful roar. His arm may have been broken, but his wings were perfectly fine, and it seemed his disorientation was no longer a problem. He flew towards Noah and knocked him down. Noah rolled in the dirt, and when he looked up he saw Kevin flying down towards him, mouth open, fangs bared, ready to take him out for good. Noah stayed as close to the ground at possible but nothing ever hit him. Hesitantly he looked up and saw a large turtle had taken his place as the dragon's chew toy.

"Mia?" he asked. It was the only monster he didn't recognize and he had to assume it was whatever Vrak had transformed Mia into. She seemed to be a turtle, and her shell protected her from the fangs, but Kevin was doing his best to rip her apart. He threw her, from his mouth, into the cliffside and Noah heard a loud crack sound. Mia's shell was cracked, and Noah could see it from here; it was cracked badly.

But Kevin didn't let up. He picked her up in his jaws again and chomped down on her shell. Noah could only watch, uncertain about what to do. He didn't know if he could help. He didn't know if it was safe or not.

Hell, he didn't even know who to help. Mia had protected him, but he had no idea why, or if she really was Mia.

His question was quickly answered though when a powerful bit from Kevin finally tore through her shell completely and a bright light surrounded her. The pieces of her shell fell to the ground and when the light faded Noah saw Mia, the real Mia, lying helplessly inside Kevin's mouth, and he was about to bite down on her again. He picked up his Bowgun and fired quickly at the dragon's head. Just as Kevin was about to sink his teeth into Mia, the blast hit the side of his head. Mia was thrown from his teeth and Kevin turned to see who had attacked him.

Noah ran for Mia. She was in the dirt and barely moving. No doubt mutating back and forth would hurt her, especially with the way her mutation was reversed. She lost all her powers and it seemed her mutation lost all of its. He had to keep her safe.

Kevin swung his wing and knocked Noah away from Mia. He didn't want to fight with the blue Ranger anymore, it seemed he wanted to finish off the turtle. But when he looked down, he didn't see a turtle.

"No!" Noah shouted as he picked himself up and tried to run to Mia again to protect her. Kevin swatted him away with his wing again and let out a roar. In his one good hand, he picked Mia up gently.

"Don't hurt her!"

"I'm not going to hurt her!" Kevin shouted to Noah, startling the blue Ranger. "What happened to us? Why am I… a dragon?"

"Kevin? Is it really…?"

"It's me," Kevin nodded his head. "Seriously, Noah, what happened? Where are we? What's going on?" Kevin looked down at Mia and sighed, "What have I done?"

"There's no time to explain," Noah shook his head. "If it is really you, we have to get you both back to the command center. Before you go back to dragon mode and before Mia recovers enough and turns back into a turtle. Tensou and I can find a way to reverse this mutation."

"Lead the way," Kevin said. Noah grabbed Kevin by the wing and used his morpher to teleport to the command center.

-Megaforce-

Troy clutched his ribs as Conner looked over him carefully. Just over the former Red's shoulder, Troy could see a battle going on between Dr. Oliver the dragon, and the Dino Thunder yellow Ranger. He looked to Conner curiously.

"How did you find us?"

"Seriously?" Conner chuckled. "A dragon starts attacking the city, that dragon is Dr. O, and you think we're not going to be able to find you?"

Conner looked over his shoulder at the battle. Kira wasn't strong enough by herself to stop Dr. Oliver, but her screams were definitely keeping him down long enough for her to get in a few good shots to weaken him slowly.

"A few years ago, Kira was one of five Rangers called by the Sentinal Knight to help out a team of Rangers. He restored her powers and she's had them ever since. I figured if I'm going to fight a dragon, I might as well bring in a little back up."

"I didn't get that choice," Troy muttered as he tried to get up. Conner put a hand on his shoulders and held him down.

"Whoa, careful there," he said. "You're probably got some cracked ribs. Sit out. Kira's got this."

Kira screamed loudly. Troy covered his ears and Conner did the same. When the cry was over and Kira resumed her attack, Troy looked to Conner and frowned.

"Does she have to do that?"

"We voted, and we all agreed she's got the most annoying superpower," Conner nodded his head. "I guess you agree? On the bright side, she can hit high notes perfectly when she sings."

Suddenly, the ground shook, and there was another scream, but it seemed to be just for good measure. The two red Rangers looked over quickly to see Dr. Oliver had fallen to the ground and he wasn't moving.

"Did you just kill him?" Conner asked as he stood up. Kira took off her helmet and shook her head.

"I hope not. I wasn't trying. Son of a bitch deserved would deserve it, though," she pointed to her hip, where blood was seeping through her suit. Conner put his arm around her so she could lean on him while Troy slowly got to his feet and walked to Dr. Oliver.

"If we get him back to the command center, maybe Tensou can do something for him. At the very least, we'll have him out of Vrak's hands and restrained so he can't hurt anyone."

"Glad we could help," Kira said. Troy looked up at her and smiled.

"Thanks. We'll have a look at that cut too." Troy said and used his morpher to teleport himself and the Dino Rangers to the command center.


	63. The Ultimate Weapon

_Author's Note: Just letting you know I do have a Halloween plot coming up, but before I get to it I need to finish up this plot. This year, Halloween will be a few days late._

_To make up for it, or just for fun, depending on your love of Halloween, I'll be giving out deleted scene to loyal reviewers. Same rules as last time: all those who reviewed chapter 62 prior to this chapter being posted get the deleted scene. Thanks to all my reviewers for their amazing support. I know lives get really busy but I really appreciate you taking a few moments to leave some feedback!_

_Anyways, on to the chapter!_

* * *

Bigs and Bluefur were certainly trouble. Robo-Knight did his best, but it was tough taking on two mutants, especially when they double teamed him. The three Rangers in their Zords were doing all they could do help, but there simply wasn't enough power.

"Something tells me these guys played around with the Aurora Box too!" Jake shouted as Bluefur stepped on the tail of his Snake Zord, immobilizing him. Robo-Knight was busy with Bigs so it was up to Emma and Gia to help him out. Emma flew in with her Phoenix but Bluefur used his club and swung at her like she was a baseball, knocking her into the distance. Gia rolled in with her Tiger Zord but Bluefur kicked her away.

"Dude, pick a sport and stick with it!" Jake shouted. He used his controls to twist his Snake Zord and tried to bite Bluefur's leg on his own, but it seemed his Snake Bite had no effect on Bluefur. His skin was too thick.

"Dammit!" Jake cried as he was picked up and thrown into the distance. His Zord crashed on top of Gia's. "Sorry…"

"Jake!" Gia shouted and he could hear her smashing her controls, "You shut me down!"

"I didn't do anything," he answered. "That hairy blueberry is the problem!"

"Uh… guys?" Emma said as he Phoenix hovered over her teammates, "Robo-Knight's not looking good. They're going to take him down!"

"Smash into him as much as possible, Em!" Gia said. "Jake, get off me! Keep one of those bastards away from Robo-Knight at all times."

Her teammates did as she commanded and Gia finally got her Zord to respond, but she could see there wasn't a lot of power left for any of them. Robo-Knight was getting tired, and alone the Zords were taking a beating. She beat her fist into the console and sighed, "C'mon, Noah, Troy, where the hell are you?"

-Megaforce-

"What do you mean you can't work on them right away?" Noah pinched the bridge of his nose while Troy was pounding on the door to Tensou's lab. "In case you haven't realized, Tensou, we need to turn our friends back into humans before they start tearing us apart again."

"In case you haven't noticed," Tensou finally opened the door to his lab and rolled over to the consoles in the middle of the room, "Your friends are taking a beating at Bigs' and Bluefur's hands."

The video of the fight came up on the screens. The Rangers looked on with worry. Troy turned to Noah and they nodded their heads, ready to help but Gosei called them back.

"You will go nowhere," he said. Troy spun around and smashed his fists into his console.

"Gosei, our friends are…"

"Tensou, have you finished?" Gosei asked and the little robot nodded his head.

"I've just finished. Oh, I hope it's enough!"

"Troy, Noah," Gosei said to the Rangers, "Tensou and I have been working on a new weapon. It is clear Vrak's getting stronger. We need to stay one step ahead of him at all times."

"So then give us the card and…"

"This time, it is not a card," Gosei announced and suddenly the command center started to shake. Dr. Oliver, Mia, and Kevin were already strapped down to a table and so didn't have to worry about being thrown around, but Troy, Noah, Conner, and Kira had to find something to hold on to.

"What's going on?" Noah asked but Gosei didn't answer. Suddenly, the roof of the command center disappeared. Tensou started to roll around in excitement.

"It's working! It's working! It's working!"

"Tensou!" Troy snapped at the robot, "If you're done with whatever this is, can you work on our friends?"

"I'll explain our new weapon to the Rangers," Gosei announced. "Tensou, you need to get to work with the mutants."

"Right away!" Tensou smiled and hurried back to his lap. "I'll come up with the antidote, I promise!"

"Gosei, what's going on?" Noah asked.

"Gia, Jake, and Emma need all the power they can get if they stand a chance defeating Bigs and Bluefur," Gosei said. "I've already sent your Zords into battle. The Ultra Zords will be of service to them as well."

Noah, Troy, Conner, and Kira looked down at the consoles. They saw the top of the command center land at the battlefield before it started to combine with the Ultra Zords. The rocks broke away, revealing what looked a lot like a space ship.

"No way…" Conner gasped, "Dude, that is so cool! Why didn't we get one of those?"

"This is the Gosei Ultimate Command Ship," Gosei explained. "It is more powerful that anything you've piloted before."

"No shit!" Noah cried when he watched the battle unfold and saw the new Gosei Ultimate Command Ship had turned the tables in the Rangers' favour and was tearing down Bigs and Bluefur without giving them a chance to fight back. "Gosei, this power is incredible!"

"Indeed it is," Gosei answered. "I've made sure it was nothing less. Tensou did good work getting it up and ready so quickly. Speaking of which, Noah, I'm sure Tensou wouldn't mind some help with that antidote."

"Yeah, absolutely," Noah nodded his head but could barely take his eyes off the battle. The mutants were doomed. It was clear the Rangers and Robo-Knight were going to win. It was only a matter of time. Slowly, he backed away into Tensou's lab.

"And as for you," Conner said and pointed to Troy, "You should rest those ribs."

"He's right," Kira nodded her head. "And while you're doing that, would you mind getting me some ice or something?" she pointed to the wound on her hip. Troy nodded his head and walked to the first aid kit on the wall. Fortunately, there were ice-packs for the two of them.


	64. Monsters Go Home

After their battle with the new Gosei Ultimate Command Ship, Jake, Gia, and Emma returned to the command center with excitement. Not only had they gotten the chance to play around with their new weapon, and managed to kick ass with it, but they also managed to defeat Bigs and Bluefur for good, finally wiping out the mutant race. That meant they only had Vrak and his army to deal with, but with the Aurora Box no longer in his possession and completely broken, they had stopped his plans once again and weakened him.

And when they got to the command center and saw Dr. Oliver, Kevin, and Mia were all home safe and sound, and were just awaiting Tensou to inject them with an antidote he and Noah had come up with, they really felt like it was a good day.

"How did you come up with something so fast?" Jake asked as Noah prepared the syringe for the first injection, which Kevin volunteered himself for.

"I've been working on an antidote since Dr. Oliver was first taken," Tensou said. "I was sure you Rangers would find a way to get him back and I wanted to be ready for when you did. Noah just lent me a hand with the finishing touches."

"It should work," Noah promised. He handed the needle to Tensou who then injected it into Kevin's arm. The dragon let out a cry at first and the Rangers bit their lip as they waited for something to happen. After a moment, Kevin's body started to shrink. Gia recognized it as being the opposite of what happened to Dr. Oliver when he transformed into the dragon and was the first to start smiling as Kevin returned to normal. He looked around and then down at himself. He was still restrained on the table, but now that he was back in his human body there was no longer a need for him to be tied down. Noah started to undo his restraints while Tensou moved on to Mia.

"Dude, you took down a dragon by yourself?" Jake asked his best friend as the two of them helped Kevin sit up. Noah shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I held him off as long as I could," Noah said. He remembered he had caused Kevin to suffer a few injuries and so pulled up the first aid kit. "Mia did all the hard work getting him to snap out of whatever Vrak did to him."

"Believe it or not," Kevin said as Noah got to work immobilizing his arm, which unfortunately the antidote couldn't repair. It was still broken, and Kevin would knew it would be a while before he could use it again. "Nothing made any sense when I was in my dragon form," he continued. "I didn't know who I was, who you guys were, or even what I was doing. I honestly believed I had to do what Vrak wanted."

"What made you change your mind, then?" Noah asked him. Kevin looked over to Mia. Because she had already powered out of her mutated form there was no changes made to her after the antidote injected her, but seeing Tensou had moved on to Dr. Oliver he was sure she was back to normal too. Only she has suffered more than just a broken arm. He had literally tried to eat her.

"Do you guys believe in fairy tales?" Kevin asked the two boys, who looked to each other with a little bit of a laugh.

"Fairy tales? Alright, I know we just fought dragons and stuff, but… that's a little farfetched…"

"I'm serious," Kevin looked at Jake. "I saw Mia and something inside of me just clicked."

"Mia was the same way," Emma said as she brought over a change of clothes for Kevin, "She had me dead to rights, but when she saw Riley's toy, she stopped."

Emma offered Kevin the clothes and then Riley's toy, "I'm sure she'll want this back."

"It'll be her mother she wants," Kevin took the toy with a smile, "But she'll appreciate it."

"So, you're telling me love actually broke you guys out of your crazy mutant ways?" Jake asked and shook his head. Kevin chuckled as he changed his shirt.

"Have you not ever heard of Beauty and the Beast?"

"Heard of it?" Emma asked and glanced over to Jake teasingly, "He's living in it."

Jake frowned but then he got an idea. He called out to Gia, "Emma's calling you a beast!"

Emma smacked him in the chest and Jake smirked teasingly at her while Noah rolled his eyes. However, Gia never answered. When Tensou went to inject the antidote into Dr. Oliver she went to stand by his bed. After Tensou was done and Dr. Oliver was back to normal, she started to undo his restraints while he slowly started to come to.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him. Dr. Oliver slowly started to sit up and then rubbed his head.

"Why are my ears ringing so loudly?" he asked. "I have a monster headache. What happened?"

"You turned into Dr. Dragon," Gia answered. Dr. Oliver looked up at her and then sighed.

"I remember Vrak saying something about that."

"Before or after you traded yourself for me?"

"Gia…"

"You do realize what you could have done, right? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Keeping a team together keeps them strong," Dr. Oliver said as he looked at Gia. "I knew your friends would take care of you and eventually you'd be strong enough to help me."

"If you were still alive, maybe," Gia rolled her eyes. Dr. Oliver chuckled.

"I am alive, and I'm feeling pretty good. Obviously it worked…"

"Not obviously," Gia shook her head. "Vrak wanted me. For whatever reason, he thinks he owns my life. You're not even a Ranger anymore! You had no business getting this involved! I could have taken care of myself…"

"You were practically dead before the deal was made. If someone didn't act fast we'd have a tiger to take out, not a dragon, and your friends would be down one teammate. I couldn't let that happen," Dr. Oliver took Gia's hand and smiled at her, "I don't regret what I've done. Well… that part of it at least. I don't remember much after I turned and that usually isn't good."

"Dr. Oliver…"

"Gia, don't worry about it. Don't worry about me. I know you're Rangers, and I respect that. I trust you know what you're doing, even if you can use a little help along the way. But at the end of the day, you're still my students. You're all still kids. When I saw you lying there, when I saw how scared your teammates were for you, I knew I had to do something."

"Well, you scared me," Gia frowned and turned away from Dr. Oliver. "I don't like being scared."

"I'm sorry," Dr. Oliver chuckled. "But it's not something I regret, and it's something I'd do again for you or any of the other Rangers. I can't help it."

Gia sighed and turned back to Dr. Oliver. He opened his arms for a hug.

"It's the only way to end this touching moment."

"I don't hug," Gia shook her head and got up.

"I saved your life."

"And I said thank you."

"No hug?"

"You're my teacher," Gia said. "There needs to be boundaries."

"I'm your Ranger mentor first."

"Boundaries."

"Mentors can hug their students."

"Not if the students don't hug," Gia said and then walked away. Dr. Oliver chuckled as he shook his head. Then he noticed two people coming over to him. He frowned a little bit when he recognized them.

"Conner? Kira? What are you doing here?"

"We had to help slay a dragon," Conner smiled. Kira shoved him gently and rolled her eyes.

"I slayed the dragon," she said. "By the way, sorry about the headache, Dr. O."

"The ringing in my ears…" Dr. Oliver sighed, "I should have known it was you."

"If you're feeling better, we can take you home," Conner said. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind going back for some rest."

"Sounds like a plan," Dr. Oliver stated and he got help from his former students to get out of bed. As they started to walk him out of the command center, Troy came after them. He had a pen and paper in his hands and looked up nervously at Kira.

"My sister's a huge fan."

"Is it not enough I slayed your dragon?" she teased as she signed the paper. "I have to meet your little sister too?"

"Meet?" Troy asked and shook his head. Kira pointed to the paper.

"You look like a mess," she said. "Whether or not you spilled the beans to her about this, she's going to have a lot of questions. I'll bet this'll shut her up."

"You'll be at our school?"

"Conner and I talked," Kira nodded. "Dr. O might not want to, but he's going to have to take it easy. We'll cover his classes with you until we decide he's well enough to go back to work."

"You heard her, Dr. O," Conner chuckled.

"I'm…"

"Don't argue with me. When was the last time you won?" Kira asked. Dr. Oliver nodded his head and sighed.

"I'll tell you all about where we left off."

"Wait," Jake said as he hurried over after overhearing the conversation, "Coach McKnight and Kira Ford are going to be our teachers until Dr. Oliver is back on his feet."

"Yeah, that won't draw any attention to us," Noah muttered.

"OW! Emma," Gia groaned when Emma grabbed her arm and held it tight. Her jaw was dropped and there was a little sparkle in her eyes. Gia pried her hand away and then rolled her eyes, "She's fan-girling again."

"For good reason!" Emma turned to Gia. "Kira Ford is going to be my substitute teacher!"

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," Kira chuckled.

Conner nodded his head, "Same. And don't think we'll go easy on you just because we know you're Rangers."

As they left, Emma reached for Gia's arm again, needing something to squeeze so she could control her excitement. Gia jumped away from her and walked over to Jake.

"I'm not looking forward to tomorrow."

Jake chuckled. Then he saw Kevin was getting out of bed and looking over at Mia, who finally seemed to be coming to. He nudged Gia gently and pointed. She nodded her head.

"I promised Riley they'd be home soon," she announced to her teammates. "They look a little rough, but I'm sure she and Jesse miss them."

"Gosei," Troy turned to their mentor, "Think maybe, just this once, we can use teleportation for personal travel?"

"Just this once," Gosei agreed.

Gia threw her hands up, "Oh, when he asks it's fine, but when I ask…"

"You don't ask," Gosei interrupted her. Gia let out a breath and turned away from him.

"Whatever. Let's get these guys home."

-Megaforce-

Lauren closed the third book she read to Riley before bed and thought she would finally be able to convince the little girl to go to sleep, but Riley still seemed wide awake and had another book in her hands, which she offered to her aunt.

"This one now."

"Riley, you have to sleep."

"No," Riley shook her head. It hadn't been long since she had come back to the Shiba House with her aunt, but it felt like ages since she had seen her parents and the more time that passed, the more she started to worry the Megaforce Rangers couldn't get them back. She didn't want to think they would lie to her, but she was really scared she would never see her parents again.

"It's hard, Riles, I know. I've been in your position before."

"Not twice," Riley shook her head. "My first mommy and daddy die, and now mommy and daddy might die again."

"They aren't going to die," Lauren assured her. She put the books aside and lifted Riley on her lap. "The Megaforce Rangers know what they're doing."

"But something might go wrong," Riley said. "They don't mean to lie, but they might."

"It's really tough," Lauren nodded her head. "It's scary waiting to see what'll happen. And you feel alone, I know you do, but you're not. Mommy and daddy are coming back, and if they don't, your family is still going to take care of you. You'll stay here with me, Ally and Jesse."

"You'll be my new family?"

"I am your family, Riley," Lauren smiled.

"Will I have to call you mommy?"

"Auntie Lauren will do."

"Will I have to call Auntie Ally mommy?"

"No," Lauren shook her head. "You don't have to worry about that, anyways. Your parents are coming home."

"Soon?"

"I don't know, Riley, but…"

"Riley?" a voice from outside the room called for the little girl and Riley suddenly sat up straight.

"Little pink!" another voice called and Riley jumped off her aunt's lap and raced for the hallway. She ran straight to the common room and without stopping she saw her parents and jumped into both of their arms.

"You're home!"

"Did we scare you, Riley?" Kevin asked his daughter while Mia kissed her cheek and hugged her warmly. Riley shrugged her shoulders and looked up at her father.

"Naw, what are you talking about? I knew the Rangers would pull through the whole time."

"Really?" Mia asked. She lifted her daughter and looked to her skeptically, "The whole time?"

"I was just telling Auntie Lauren everything would be okay," Riley said and turned around as Lauren walked into the common room, "Right?"

"She was very brave," Lauren chuckled.

Riley smiled for her aunt's support, but then grabbed both her parents in another hug and squeezed them tight, "I did miss you, though," she said. "Promise you'll never leave me again."


	65. Halloween Day

Jake hadn't forgotten. With all the excitement and action of the last couple of days he had almost missed it, but his father had asked him about a costume the night before and he had run out to get one quickly before the start of school. He wanted to be dressed up for Halloween, one of his favourite nights of the year.

Unfortunately, last minute costume shopping was never a good idea, but Jake hated repeating costumes and would be damned if he was caught as Frankenstein again, so he settled on whatever the shop had left. His choices: sexy dentist and cow.

Jake opted for the cow, confident he could find a way to pull it off. He received some odd stares as he walked to his locker but he paid no attention to them. At least, not until he bumped into Troy.

"Farmer? Damn, this is awkward," he said and turned to dig through his locker. Troy looked down at his costume. He also hadn't forgotten it was Halloween and borrowed his father's costume from the year before so he wouldn't be caught in an embarrassing costume like Jake.

"I'm a cowboy," he said and then shook his head, "That doesn't sound much better."

"You're the last person I wanted to match with," Jake rolled his eyes. "But we might still be able to pull this off."

"If you say so," Troy said and pat Jake on the shoulder, "I'm not the cow."

"Hey, I'm a kick ass cow," Jake pointed to his costume. "No one can pull this off like I can."

"For your sake, I hope so," Troy chuckled.

"Holy cow," Noah announced his arrival with a little laugh as he joined the boys by Jake's locker, "Don't tell me, you went last minute?"

"You didn't even try," Jake looked at his best friend and saw him wearing the mad scientist costume he had worn last year. "Dude, come on, Halloween is awesome. Put a little spirit into it. Get it," Jake smirked and looked at the boys, "Spirit?"

"Halloween is Jake's favourite non-gift giving holiday," Noah explained to Troy, who seemed to already be nodding his head. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. Only someone who loved the day to an extreme would be this happy and confident in a cow costume. "Word of advice, don't let him eat too much candy."

"I doubt we'll get much. The school won't exactly be handing it out…"

"We're going trick-or-treating," Jake said to Troy. "We do it every year."

"Aren't we a little old?" Troy asked. Jake shook his head and looked to him like he had grown a second one.

"Do you still like candy?"

"Well, yeah, I…"

"Then you're not too old to take it from strangers," Jake said. "Dude, tonight is going to be so awesome! I even hear there's going to be a haunted house!"

"Alright, that sounds fun," Troy smiled and nodded his head. Jake picked out his books from his locker, stuffed them in his bag and then they started to make their way down the hall to class. On the way, they stopped by Emma's and Gia's lockers to see if the girls were at school. It was getting quite close to class time and they normally weren't late.

They found Emma, but there was no sign of Gia. Jake walked over first. Emma noticed him, then his costume and started to chuckle.

"Please tell me this is a last minute costume and not a choice."

"Both," Jake smirked and showed off his cow suit, "I think I'm doing a fine job pulling it off. And, you'll know it's me because no one else is cool enough to pull off a cow costume."

Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes. She grabbed her books and then opened Gia's locker. Jake noticed she was taking Gia's books as well.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll explain in class," Emma said. She packed up her bag with books and the four of them made their way to their room. They were first to arrive and took their seats.

"Emma, you don't have a costume," Noah pointed out. "Are you going as yourself?"

Emma shook her head, set her bag down at her desk and then closed the classroom door.

"Gia can't do Halloween," Emma explained. "It was Cliff's favourite holiday. He celebrated twice a year. On his birthday, he made the theme Halloween. There were costumes, pumpkins, decorations, the whole nine yards."

"And let me guess, it ended badly?" Jake asked and had a tone of disappointment in his voice. He knew he had to be patient with Gia, and he knew he needed to be understanding. Just because she had moved past Cliff, that didn't mean she would forget about the bad things he had done to her. But it was upsetting to hear that his girlfriend wouldn't be celebrating his favourite holiday with him. He let out a heavy sigh, "Seriously?"

"Haven't you noticed the last two years she hasn't been to school on Halloween?"

"Should we ask what happened?" Troy asked. Emma shook her head.

"All you need to know is Cliff was at a party with his friends from the football team and they did their usual with her. She just doesn't want to be around the costumes and the scary decorations. When mom drove us to school and Gia saw everyone dressed up she couldn't get out of the car. Mom took her to work and then they're going to her group meeting together."

"So I guess no haunted house," Noah looked to Jake and saw his best friend hanging his head in disappointment. He didn't like seeing Jake so down, and if he was honest, he didn't think it was fair. Halloween was a harmless holiday, and it was Jake's favourite. The black Ranger had done so much for Gia and asked nothing of her in return. Noah knew Gia wasn't hurting him intentionally, but the fear had to stop. Jake deserved a night where his feelings came first. He turned back to Emma, "Alright, what if we do this? After the meeting, your mom drops her off at Ernie's. We'll all be there in harmless costumes, and we'll celebrate the softer side of Halloween."

"I don't know," Emma shook her head. "Ernie always decorates for Halloween and the mall…"

"We'll eat candy, carve pumpkins, and maybe Ernie can make us a few special treats," Noah suggested. "Isn't Gia comfortable with us?"

"Yeah, but… I guess it's alright."

"It's Jake's favourite holiday," Noah pointed out for Emma, "And he's not like Cliff, he's proven that. Gia will have a good time, and it'll put a good memory over a bad one."

"Maybe…"

"Seriously, if she comes I think it'll be good for her," Noah insisted. Emma looked around. Jake was smiling hopefully, desperate she would agree to get Gia to come out for the mini-Halloween party Noah had planned, and Troy was nodded his head, showing he agreed with Noah.

"Alright, fine. I'll talk to her. But seriously, we have to keep it harmless. Cliff's birthday was a really bad night for her. Take everything you know and add fear."

"To what?" Kira and Conner asked as they walked into the classroom with very familiar costumes. The Rangers chuckled as they took their seats at their desks and their substitute teachers got settled in the front of the classroom.

"Nothing," Emma shook her head and tried to hide the blush on her face. She still couldn't believe that until Dr. Oliver recovered, her favourite singer of all time would be her substitute teacher.

Noah raised his hand, "Uh, what's with the costumes?"

"Come on," Conner chuckled, "It was just too hard to resist. So what do you think?" he showed off his red Megaforce Ranger costume, "Who wore it best?"

"Definitely me," Troy smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "The fake muscles do nothing for you."

"Hey, where's real me?" Kira asked as she looked around the room and noticed they were one Ranger short.

"Gia doesn't do Halloween," Jake answered.

"She's missing the first day of class?" Kira frowned. Conner touched her arm and shook his head. He could tell from the looks on the real Megaforce Rangers' faces that this wasn't something that needed to be discussed at length.

"Don't worry about it. The kid barely needs school anyways. Dr. O's always whining she's smart with an attitude."

"Oh, speaking of school," Noah said and held out a pack of papers for his two teachers, "I've got a little homework done in the time we were out of school. It's nothing too big, just enough so I wouldn't fall out of practice. If you guys wouldn't mind looking over it and giving me a few pointers on where I could improve for next week's assignments, that would be great."

Conner sighed and pointed over to Emma, Jake, and Troy, "Yeah, we're mostly here to teach this side of the classroom.

"And I'm offended," Emma huffed and Jake and Troy seemed to agree with her right away. Conner shook his head.

"No, I didn't say you were stupid. I just meant…"

"Great, offend our students on our first day," Kira rolled her eyes and started handing out sheets. Emma's hand rose immediately.

"Dr. Oliver promised that when he did need to use paper, he would print on both sides. Do you have any idea how wasteful this is?"

"I don't know how to work the photocopier here," Kira frowned. "I'm not actually a teacher…"

"You could have asked for help."

"Dude, when's gym class?" Jake asked Conner, "I've been dying to get back on the field and show off some of my new moves."

"He was right," Conner whispered to Kira, "They are a handful."

"And today it's just four fingers," Kira whispered back.

-Megaforce-

The rest of the school day went off without a hitch, at least, for the Rangers. Conner and Kira were wiped out by the time the final bell rang, and wondered if they had been this much trouble for Dr. Oliver. Not only were the Rangers a lot to handle in the day, with all their energy, their twisted but close relationships to each other, and their bravery to goof off even with two teachers keeping an eye on them in the classroom, but they also had a lot to offer the classrooms. Noah, just as Kira and Conner expected, practically taught the class himself when it came to math and science, and while some of his lessons had to be simplified so that everyone understood what he was doing, he had been quite successful in moving the class along. They had a lot of time to make up for, but Noah really pushed them through the units they had missed.

Jake was a natural in gym class, and right behind him was Troy. They split up three to one for a friendly game of soccer. Kira and Conner felt it was fair to give them a break from training and get them active with something fun. Jake loved being back on the field, and couldn't stop bragging when he practically destroyed Troy, Noah, and Emma's team. His opponents got him back, though, by dumping their water bottles on his head.

After gym class, the Rangers worked on a new play Dr. Oliver wanted them to read. Jake nearly fell asleep a couple of times, and hadn't been afraid to do so right in front of his teachers. Noah was also bored, saying he wasn't a fan of literature. When pushed to analyze passages from the text he did alright, but he wasn't nearly as impressive as he had been earlier that day. Surprisingly, it was Troy who had a talent for literary analysis, which Conner and Kira were grateful for. Kira had always preferred songs and poetry over plays and Conner was a lot like Jake. He had done alright in high school but most of his marks came from gym classes.

Lunch went by with a few bumps. Kira couldn't make her way through school without being mobbed by many of the students. It wasn't often a celebrity walked their halls (as far as the students knew). Eventually, Ms. Chesterfield came out of her office and set the students straight. Kira signed a few autographs, took a few pictures, and then was left in peace with Conner and the rest of the Megaforce Rangers to eat.

Finally, at the last period, the school set up a few Halloween treats. Students got to skip classes to take part in Halloween themed games, eat candy, and those who were really brave could walk the haunted hallway. Jake did a bit of everything, with his friends close behind.

"Alright, missing girlfriend aside," Jake said as he packed up his bag, "Today was sweet!"

"I promise, I'll talk to Gia," Emma said. "As long as we keep it simple and harmless, I'm sure she'll be fine heading to Ernie's."

"What's going on at Ernie's?" Conner asked.

"Do you want to come?" Jake offered his coach. "We're going to have our own little Halloween party. Pumpkin carving, candies, a little fun. Maybe some trick-or-treating…"

"I wouldn't push it," Emma shook her head. Conner and Kira exchanged looks and then nodded their heads.

"We can make it," Kira said. "Dr. O asked for your papers to be brought to him. He's a bit of a control freak with stuff like this. We'll go by his place and then meet with your at Ernie's."

"I'm going to a Halloween party with Kira Ford," Emma whispered to Noah as she grabbed his arm and squeezed it. "Can this day get any better?"

"If you let go of my arm it might," Noah pulled away from Emma and sighed, "How long before you get used to the fact that you and Kira are friends?"

"I've been following her since I was a little girl," Emma said. "Imagine… playing chess with Einstein. How many games before that got old?"

"Einstein was a genius. Getting the chance to sit down and pick his brain would be amazing. Especially since he's dead and that'll never happen."

"Kira's a genius."

"She sings pop songs. It's the same chords over and over again…"

"Hey," Kira walked up to his desk and slammed her hands down. She looked the blue Ranger in the eye, "What do you want to say about my music?"

"Everyone knows pop songs are all the same," Noah answered but gulped when Kira gave him a frightening look, "Uh… but you know, I've never really sat down and listened to your music personally so… I'm sure you're great."

"Yeah, I thought so," Kira said. Then she put on her yellow Ranger mask and walked off. By now, most of the students knew what her costume was, but there were so many people who had dressed up as a Ranger she was hoping she could get through the halls without being mobbed again. Conner looked over at Noah and chuckled.

"You dodged a real bullet."


	66. The Halloween Party

Gia had agreed to go to the Brainfreeze, but Emma had to practically drag her in.

"Come on, Gia. It's nothing like his birthday. Halloween is harmless," Emma finally got her best friend through the door and they noticed they were the first to arrive. Conner and Kira were likely still with Dr. Oliver, telling him all about their day and getting ready for the next, and knowing Jake, he probably got sidetracked by all the shops and stands in the mall that were celebrating Halloween and was slowing the boys down.

"He's not even here," Gia muttered as Emma pulled her over to a table and the girls sat down.

"Gia, there's nothing to worry about tonight. Ernie put up a few decorations, but you can see they're harmless," Emma pointed around the shop. "It's not even that busy tonight. Most kids are going to be out at parties or trick-or-treating. We'll likely have the place to ourselves. The guys are great, and Conner and Kira are even going to be here."

Gia sighed and bit her lip. Emma reached over and lifted Gia's white witch hat, straightening it on her head.

"It's going to be fine. Jake's going to be really happy you're doing this for him. And he's not going to scare you, I promise."

"I know. It's just… with all this stuff I keep thinking the football team is…"

"It's not happening," Emma assured her. "We're going to have a fun night. You're not even going to want to go home by the time the Brainfreeze closes. You'll forget all about Cliff's birthday, I swear."

"He better show up soon," Gia whispered. At that very moment, as if she summoned him, Jake and the boys and Rebecca walked in from the mall. Gia couldn't help but smile when she saw their costumes, especially Jake's.

"You're a cow?" she asked him as he came over. He took his seat beside her and put one arm around her before leaning in and kissing her.

"Harmless enough for you?"

Gia nodded but leaned in closer to him. It wouldn't be easy convincing her Halloween was a good, fun holiday. It was all about evil and fear. She didn't like it.

Ernie saw the whole group was finally assembled around the table and brought out a special treat for all of them. Jake called him after school to explain, without going into too much detail, what he and the others would be doing for the night. Ernie liked the teens, a little more than any of his other customers. They were regular customers, so already he had to love them for their business, but they were more than that. They always talked to him at the bar when they arrived, even just to ask him how his day was going. They spoke to him with respect, and never complained if service slowed down because of the rushes. In fact, Noah had once helped him repair the frozen yogurt machine when it broke down on a hot summer's day and others were complaining. They cleaned up after themselves, they never caused trouble. They were a good group of kids. He liked looking after them, and every once in a while he didn't mind doing them a few favours. When Jake explained Gia was scared of Halloween, he scaled back his decorations just a little bit so as not to spook her as soon as she walked through the door.

"Whoa, Ernie, these look wicked," Jake commented when he saw the frozen treats. "And, I love the costume."

Ernie looked down at his pirate attire, parrot and all, and smiled back at the teens.

"I decided I would have a little fun," he said. "Halloween usually isn't a busy night. I'll be in the back if you need me. You will call if someone comes in?"

"Sure, thing, Ernie," Troy nodded his head and Ernie set off for the back room, where the Rangers heard him turn on some music. It seemed he was having a little party of his own.

"I wonder what he does back there," Noah asked.

"I don't care," Rebecca shook her head, "I was promised a party with Kira Ford," she turned to her brother, "You said Kira Ford was going to be here."

"Didn't you see her at school?" Jake frowned. "You were first to get an autograph."

"There's a difference between meeting Kira Ford and partying with Kira Ford," Rebecca said and Emma nodded her head to agree.

"Thank you."

"I'm sure she's coming," Troy promised his sister. "Just give her a little more time. And try to be cool, will you?"

"I'm Ice-Man!" Rebecca said and put her hands on her hips, adopting a superhero pose to show off her costume, "I'm always cool!"

"Ice-man?" Emma asked with a little laugh.

"Hey, ice is a cool super power," Rebecca smiled. "You can freeze things, you never have to worry about your drink being warm, and you can make it snow all the time!"

"Rebecca loves winter," Troy rolled his eyes.

"I love winter! Well, except when it gets too freezing cold. I just like it cold enough for the snow to stay. And at least I'm not a cow."

"Hey, I have the best costume here," Jake stuck his tongue out at his step-sister. "No one is cool enough to pull off being a cow."

"Um, I'm the definition of cool," Rebecca pointed to her costume. "Ice-man!"

"Ice-_man_?" Noah asked and Rebecca nodded. He then turned to Jake, "And you're a dairy cow?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Never mind," Noah shook his head and the others around the table started to laugh. Jake and Rebecca looked to each other, confused for a moment, before they decided it wasn't worth figuring out.

"Who's ready for pumpkin carving!" a voice called out while the bell over the door rang and Kira and Conner walked in, carrying some pumpkins under their arms. "Sorry we're a little late. We stopped by the store to get these."

"There's a few more in the car," Kira said as she set her pumpkins down on the table, "One for each of us."

"Sweet!" Jake cried as he jumped up to help get the pumpkins. "Gia, you're going to love pumpkin carving! It's one of the best parts of Halloween."

"Except the candy," Noah assured her. He and Troy got up as well to help with the pumpkins, as it seemed Kira and Conner managed to find pretty big ones on Halloween evening. Gia nodded her head until the boys were gone and then looked over at Emma and shook her head, "I don't want to carve pumpkins."

"Gia, you promised you'd take part," Emma sighed. "It doesn't have to be scary. We'll make silly faces for our pumpkins, and Jake promised he would tone down the Halloween terror. Meet us halfway."

"Halloween isn't all that scary," Rebecca said. "You know everything is fake. It's not like vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghouls and monsters really do exist… well, not these kinds, at least."

"Thanks," Gia rolled her eyes, "That helped."

"Halloween was Cliff's favourite holiday," Emma quickly explained to Rebecca, just in case Troy or one of the boys hadn't told her before she arrived. "When he and Gia dated he had a Halloween themed birthday."

"I had a bad night."

"Worse than other nights?" Rebecca asked.

"It's Halloween themed. Pranks, evil, monsters, darkness. What do you think?"

"What did he do?"

"I don't want to talk about it. It just brings back bad memories, alright?" Gia said and then sighed when the boys and Kira came back with the rest of the pumpkins, which they set up on the bar at the back of the Brainfreeze. Rebecca bit her lip when she saw Gia's hand trembling slightly.

"Hey, it's going to be fine," she promised her. "This Halloween is going to be harmless. And besides, you're better than this. You've already decided Cliff's not going to ruin you anymore. If you don't try, you're going to let him walk all over you again, and we promised that's never going to happen again, right?"

"Yeah."

"This year, you have friends, and even though he's a bit of a cow, you've got Jake. We know how you feel about him and we know how he feels about you. Has he ever let you down before?"

"No."

"So don't you owe it to him to try and have a good time tonight?"

Gia nodded her head and nervously stood up and joined the others at the bar. Rebecca smiled proudly to herself and then turned to Emma, who looked on impressed.

"Wow. I couldn't even do that."

"We shared stories for the play, remember?" Rebecca shrugged her shoulders. "I heard a lot about what happened, and we talked a lot about ways to move on from it. I kind of just used that to… lift her up, a bit."

"Pretty cool of you, Ice-Man," Emma smiled and started to get up to join the pumpkin carving, as she could see the contest was about to begin.

"Hey, hey, wait," Rebecca went after the older girl, "I thought Gia had the Tiger Zord," she pointed to the cat ears on Emma's head as well as her tail.

"Gia's a witch, so I'm her black cat," Emma answered.

"Gia's a white witch," Rebecca pointed out.

"We didn't have white ears or a white tail at home, and there's a reason Jake's a cow. I doubt it was his first choice."

"Being a Ranger get in the way of your Halloween shopping?" Rebecca teased. "You know, when Troy came home last night, after I finished screaming because he got me Kira Ford's autograph and told me I would meet her, I suggested he be a knight. You know, because he slayed a dragon."

"You can just call me Kira," the former yellow Ranger, still dressed as the current yellow Ranger, insisted as she came over to the two girls to bring them to the pumpkin carving station.

"I'm on a first name basis with Kira Ford," Rebecca whispered gleefully to her brother as she sat down. Troy rolled his eyes.

"Alright," Jake announced to the others to begin the contest, "We have twenty minutes to make an awesome pumpkin carving. We can do whatever we want, within reason, and when the time's up, we'll have Ernie judge our finished products blind, so we have a real winner."

"What does the winner win?" Rebecca asked.

Jake lifted a bucket of candy, "This! Dad bought me tons of candy. It'll be the prize for every contest we have, deal?"

"Deal," the others agreed. Jake looked up at the clock.

"Twenty minutes starts… now!" he said and then raced around the counter to find his pumpkin, but Gia noticed they were one short. She frowned as Jake came over to her.

"You don't have a pumpkin?"

"Conner and Kira weren't expecting Rebecca. I said it was fine, though, we'll carve one together."

"Jake…"

"Hey, I get it, tonight's tough for you," Jake smiled as he sat down next to Gia and started to cut the top out of the pumpkin. "I really appreciate you doing this for me, though. The least I can do is help you leave tonight with some buckets of candy. So, do you know how to carve?"

"I know how," Gia nodded her head. "I just don't have any ideas."

"I've got one that's sure to win," Jake said. "Help me take the guts out and then I'll tell you what it is."


	67. A Medium Fright

Gia found she had a good time with the pumpkin carving contest. Jake decided to go with a face that was a little more silly than creepy, but that stuck with the Halloween Jack-O-Lantern theme. When the competition ended and Ernie decided the winner, their pumpkin came in third, behind Noah's Einstein and Rebecca's exceptionally detailed Power Ranger pumpkin. They didn't win the bucket of candy but there were still more competitions to be had. Ernie had set up a bobbing for apples games and the teams were girls against boys. Surprisingly, Gia was pretty good with that game and got the most apples for her team, making them the winners. They split the candies evenly amongst themselves.

Then it was the costume contest. Everyone would be a judge, but they weren't allowed to vote for their own costume. Jake won by a landslide, as everyone seemed it fit to vote for the guy who could proudly pull off the cow costume.

The rest of the candy, because there was still plenty left over, was split up among everyone, and the Rangers were now enjoying a little time just to hang out and eat their candy. Gia was over at the bar, looking through her stash for some of her favourites while Jake came over to her.

"Still scared of Halloween?" he asked her. Gia shrugged her shoulders.

"Not this kind of Halloween. Tonight was actually pretty fun."

"I'm glad you had a good time," Jake said. He sat down and poured his candy out. "When Emma told me this morning you didn't do Halloween, I was really bummed out. Thanks for this."

"It's the least I can do. Really," Gia said and offered Jake some of her taffy, which she knew he loved. He accepted it and then leaned in to kiss her. When they pulled apart, Jake saw something had been put up in the mall just outside the Brainfreeze and he felt himself getting excited. He could read the sign from where he was sitting and knew a medium had come into the mall. Halloween was all about the tricks, the gimmicks, and the fun, so he was sure this would all be just as harmless as the rest of the party. He didn't actually believe in psychics, though Troy's dreams were a little weird. Gia saw him looking over her shoulder, saw the tent had been set up and then shook her head.

"No."

"Come on, Gia, you're not going in there alone," he smiled comfortingly. "Besides, you know all this stuff is fake. Whoever it is will probably just say some general things that could apply to anyone."

"Jake, it looks creepy," Gia shook her head, "And I don't want some… strange medium contacting the spirits and finding out more than I want them to know about me."

"It's all just for fun. There's no such thing as spirits. If it gets too freaky we'll leave, I promise. It's just some fun mall attraction."

"You promise?"

"I promise," Jake looked at her with another smile and then held out his hand. Gia took it and reluctantly followed him out to the medium's tent. She stepped inside and felt a little shiver travel up her spine as she looked around. It all seemed too real and too spooky. Whoever this was, they were certainly going all out. Jake walked in behind her and smiled. "Wow, this is too cool."

Gia held his arm as he led her to the table. He pulled out a chair for her and then sat down next to her. Gia pulled in closer to him. Jake could feel her trembling and then with a sigh he decided enough was enough. He would ask one of the others to come in with him. He wanted to celebrate Halloween with his girlfriend, but not if it would just be another bad experience for her. He got up.

"Where are you going?" she asked, but didn't hesitate to follow him as they walked to the door.

"Noah might ruin the fun by explaining everything, but it's better than really freaking you out," Jake said. "Maybe next year you'll feel better. I promised a fun night. We'll stick with that."

"Thank you," Gia whispered. Jake grabbed the side of the tent to pull it open but suddenly a hand grabbed his wrist and something pulled him and Gia back. Then a spooky voice told them to sit down. Jake held Gia close and turned to the hooded figure that wanted to keep them from leaving.

"My girlfriend's scared, alright. I'll give you some money or whatever, but we're not doing this. You can't make us…"

"Halloween is a night to be scared, Jake," the medium told him. Gia pulled on his arm, begging they leave. Even Jake was a little taken aback that the medium knew his name.

"Lucky guess. You probably heard my friends and I talking."

"I think you'll be interested in seeing what the spirits have to say about you," the medium grabbed them both and sat them back in the chairs. Jake leaned into Gia.

"You can beat me up for this later," he said. "Just remember, none of this is real."

Gia nodded and held Jake's arms tightly, doing her best to hide behind him as much as possible while the medium waved his hands around the crystal ball at the center of the table.

"I assure you," the medium said, "I am very real. I can see into your past and future."

"Alright, then, do me first," Jake offered, now desperate to prove to Gia she had nothing to be afraid of.

"You two are deeply in love," the medium started and Jake rolled his eyes. He turned to Gia, who relaxed a little. The way she was clinging on to him, it was obvious they were close, and Jake had called her his girlfriend in the medium's presence. He was right, this was only Halloween and this was just for fun. None of it could be real. She didn't need to feel so vulnerable. "Your love has brought great problems for you both."

"What love doesn't?" Jake asked.

The medium leaned his cloaked head forward to examine the crystal ball closely, "I see a disapproving parent… your mother, perhaps."

"Alright, a little bit of detail, but what mother in-law isn't a little… crazy," Jake shrugged his shoulders.

"Your parents split because of it," the medium continued. "You live with… your father now."

Gia started to squeeze Jake's arm again, "I've got a really bad feeling…"

"Divorce is common now," Jake said. "It's still pretty general. Good guesses, but nothing really spooky."

"Your mother found another man. A man with connections to one of your friends."

"Everyone's connected somehow," Jake rolled his eyes again.

"You and Troy are step-brothers," Gia whispered to him. "Your mom is dating his biological father, so technically…"

"Troy doesn't consider him his dad," Jake shook his head. "And Rebecca and I only knew each other after our parents dated. We're connected now, but that's a really bad guess…"

"Silence!" the medium shouted and then the table started to move. The medium stood up, "Jake, Gia, as non-believers and for mocking my abilities I curse you and all your offspring! May you never have a happy Halloween again!"

"Jake…"

"Yeah, we're going," Jake nodded and started to take Gia out of the tent. Again, just before they could leave, the medium stopped them. He jumped in their way and then started to laugh.

"Trick or treat!" he said and pulled down his hood, revealing his face and surprising both Rangers with his identity.

"Jordan?" Jake asked. Gia was a little more aggressive and punched him, hard, in the shoulder.

"That wasn't funny!" she screamed and then shoved past him on the way out. Jordan rubbed his arm and turned to Jake with a frown.

"Wow, she's just like I remember," Jordan said. Jake shook his head and started to make his way out of the tent, going after Gia.

"Good prank, dude. Wrong victim. Gia, wait up!"

Jake took off after her and Jordan followed them both out of the tent. He turned to the Brainfreeze and saw the rest of his friends were having a good time with their party. He decided to join them, ready to surprise them all with his arrival. He walked in, pulled off the cloak he used to hide his identity as the pretend medium and started to pretend his costume, which was a man with a knife in his chest, was real. He started to stumble into tables, gathering up as much attention as he could. He didn't have enough time to fall to the ground before Emma recognized him and jumped into his arms. He did hit the ground, but landed on his butt.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him happily before pulling him in for a long kiss.

"Some punks had a little mishap in the labs at school," Jordan rolled his eyes. "School's canceled until Monday, so mom and dad let me take the car to visit. With it being Halloween, I thought I'd make a pretty grand entrance."

Emma threw her arms around him and never wanted to let go. It had been a couple of months since she had last seen him and she missed him dearly. She couldn't take a weekend off to visit him because unfortunately her Ranger duties meant she had to stay in town just in case there was an attack, and Jordan's family was so busy with school, work, sports, and dance lessons between him and his younger sisters that he was never able to get the car for a weekend to drive down. He had promised to come by for Thanksgiving next month, but Emma didn't expect to see him before then. Tears started to come to her eyes as she held him. Jordan got to his feet a little awkwardly with Emma hanging off him. He looked to the others, "So, how have you all been?"

"You know," Troy shrugged his shoulders as he shook Jordan's hand, "The usual. Monsters, spandex, homework."

"Right, all that fun stuff," Jordan nodded his head. "So, Halloween party? I'm totally in! And… it looks like I've got the scariest costume… Cowboy? Super hero? Scientist? Cat? Uh, hello, it's Halloween, guys. A night of fright? A time for terror? A haunting holiday?"

"We're doing a fun Halloween," Emma said as she finally pulled away from him, but held his hand still.

"Yeah, being scared is fun. Where are the zombies? The severed bodies? The ghouls? You fight monsters every day, I get it, but where's your Halloween Spirit?"

"Gia doesn't like Halloween," Emma explained. Jordan looked to her a little confused before he sighed.

"Why?"

"It was Cliff's favourite holiday," Rebecca said. "She only agreed to come out because we promised to keep it fun, and Jake wanted to celebrate Halloween with her."

"The one thing Jake and Cliff have in common is their love of Halloween," Emma sighed and then started to look around the Brainfreeze, "Speaking of, where are they?"

"Oh… uh…" Jordan started to rub the back of his neck nervously, "Well, I was on my way over when I saw they were headed into the medium's tent. I guess they didn't see the sign that said the real medium was on break."

Emma groaned and pulled away from Jordan, "What did you do?"

"You can't blame me for this," Jordan held his hands up, "I had no idea Gia hated Halloween. I just pulled a little prank on them. I just wanted to freak them out a little bit. I didn't know."

"If this weren't a long distance relationship, I'd be so pissed at you right now," Emma said and left the Brainfreeze in search of her best friend, "And change your costume!"

"I don't have anything else to wear," Jordan frowned.

Noah started to snicker, "Well, you've got to wear a costume on Halloween night. And I think Ernie's still got that giant frozen yogurt costume from when he first opened the Brainfreeze."

"Can I be a dead frozen yogurt?" Jordan sighed as Noah made his way around the counter and into the back room to see if Ernie could help with their costume problem.

"You can't be anything dead," Troy shook his head.

"Unless you want to actually be dead," Rebecca suggested.

Jordan let out a deep breath as Noah came back with the Fro-Yo-Man costume. He switched his costume, wiped off his make-up as much as he could and then groaned when he saw how ridiculous he looked.

"If it makes you feel any better," Conner said as he walked over and tapped Jordan on the back, "Jake's a cow."

"Yeah, I saw that," Jordan sighed. "But it doesn't. I'm what comes out of a cow."

"Ha-ha," Rebecca chuckled and stuck out her tongue. Jordan blew a raspberry and then noticed someone in yellow in the corner of his eye. At first he thought it was Gia, because it was the yellow Megaforce Ranger, but he saw her face without the mask and knew this wasn't Gia, it was Kira Ford. He wasn't particularly a fan, but he knew Emma was. He leaned over and whispered to Troy.

"Kira Ford is at your Halloween party?"

"She's our substitute teacher," Troy nodded. "Her and Coach McKnight. They're subbing for Dr. Oliver, their former teammate from Dino Thunder, while he recovers from his time spent as an evil mutant dragon."

"C'mon, dude, I just got back into the Ranger world," Jordan shook his head. "Too much is wrong with that sentence."

"Kira's a regular person, just like you and me. She's a bad pumpkin carver, though."

"Yeah, that's not the strange part I was talking about."


	68. A Glass Of Milk

When Jake found Gia, they were one the upper floor of the mall. Gia was looking over the railing down at the lower level and was still trembling a little bit. Jake had to admit, Jordan's prank had been a little spooky. He had been frightened just a little bit by the medium's accuracy, but now that the joke was over Jake could laugh about it. Gia didn't look ready to laugh. He walked up next to her slowly and wrapped his arms around her.

"He didn't mean it. He didn't know," Jake said. Gia pulled away from him.

"I told you I didn't want to go into that tent. I told you I didn't want to talk to a medium."

"I'm sorry, Gia. If I had known…"

"I told you!"

"Cliff was a bad dude. No one knows that more than me. No matter how much I try to figure it out, I'll never understand how he could have you and not… worship you. But Gia, isn't this a little much? Jordan had no idea you didn't like the holiday and he was just trying to have a little fun. I'm sure he feels badly."

Jake gently pulled on her arm and walked her over to a bench, "It's just us up here. Do you want to talk about what happened? I think we all know how the night ended, but what made it worse? Why does Halloween scare you so much?"

"It reminds me of him."

"It's more than that. You've beaten him, remember? In your dreams. In real life too. You're happy and he got what he deserved. You win. Why does Halloween still scare you this much?"

"It was just a bad night," Gia shrugged her shoulders. "Cliff invited all his friends from the football team to his birthday party and… you know what they're like."

"I doubt I'll ever forget," Jake said and tapped his head, "Damn, I should have been a cyborg for Halloween."

"Cliff went all out. The scary costumes, the lights, the decorations. His house even smelled dead. Everything just seemed so real. As you'd expect, there was drinking involved. Some of his friends got really into their costumes. I spent the night trying to avoid vampire bites, werewolf attacks, and zombies trying to get me. Cliff was the worst of all. He'd get a little… touchy with me, and when I'd tell him to stop, he wouldn't. Then everyone went to the basement for the haunted house. Cliff dragged me in and something jumped out at us. It was one of his friends pulling a prank, but it all went a little too far. Cliff got scared and pushed me into his friend. He had a knife, and threatened to kill me unless Cliff gave up his birthday cake. He decided to be a jerk and save it all for himself. Cliff said no and then laughed when his friend threatened me."

"With a knife?"

"He was drunk. He thought it was fake but he grabbed a real one. And because he was so drunk, I really thought... He didn't do anything. When Cliff wouldn't budge with the cake he got bored and let me go. When I confronted Cliff about it, he just laughed, said I wasn't in danger, and then humiliated me about it with the others. I told him how upset and scared I was and that I wanted to go home, but he didn't let me. We watched horror movies until his friends all passed out, then when I asked to go home he said I had to give him his birthday gift first."

Gia looked down at her hands and sighed as she finished up. "I know everything is supposed to be fake on Halloween, but some people really go all out, and you can't… you really can't tell the crazies from the people just having fun. And if something happens, people usually just think it's a Halloween prank. I kept telling Cliff the knife was real and his friend was too drunk to be thinking straight, but Cliff kept saying it was just a prank. He wouldn't listen, he wouldn't help me. If his friend hadn't of gotten bored…"

Jake wrapped his arms around Gia and held her softly, "That's in the past, now. Cliff's gone, and no one here is going to hurt you."

"I just… I don't like it," Gia shook her head. "I feel vulnerable and scared just because tonight… people want to scare me and if someone actually does try to hurt me…"

"No one's going to hurt you," Jake promised her. "No one can. We're having a safe Halloween. No monsters, no haunted houses, no bloody severed anything."

"But what if…?"

"Nothing's going to happen," Jake assured her again and then smiled. "And if something does; if you really get in over your head with this Halloween stuff, or someone goes too far or you're really in trouble, just ask for milk."

"What?"

"Ask for milk," Jake said. "It's a safe word. It means you've had too much, you're not comfortable, or you're really in trouble. It means stop."

"Asking for milk?"

"I am a cow," Jake pointed to his costume. "You ask for milk, and I'll be right there to help. I'm not going to do like Cliff. I could never do what he did. No one gets away with threatening you, even as a joke, even on Halloween. That's behind you. Now you can feel safe having fun at the party with your friends, even if there are a few Halloween surprises because you know I've got your back if it gets too much."

Gia looked up at Jake with a smile and then leaned in and hugged him warmly. Jake kissed the top of her head and held her until Emma finally found them. The pink Ranger walked over to them and looked to Gia apologetically.

"I'm so sorry," she hugged Gia. "Jordan didn't know. I didn't think I'd have to tell him. If I would have known he was going to surprise me I would have told him all about our fun Halloween."

"It's okay," Gia smiled. She took Jake's hand and the three of them started to make their way back down to the ground floor. "Jake and I talked."

"Halloween's going to be fun again," Jake said. Emma breathed a sigh of relief, glad to see that bullet had been dodged.


	69. When You Know

Despite Jordan's prank, the Halloween party felt like a success for Gia. When the mall, and Ernie's Brainfreeze closed down for the night, she and the others cleaned up for Ernie and left enough money to pay him for whatever of his they used, as well as a little tip, thanking him for letting them use his shop. Then the Rangers parted ways for the night to get some sleep. Unfortunately they had school in the morning and with their teachers out with them partying they had no excuse for being late or skipping.

Jake walked home with Jordan, Emma, and Gia. He wanted to make sure his girlfriend got home okay after the party and wanted to be sure she had a good time. They walked just a little slower than Emma and Jordan so they could have some privacy to talk.

"It really means a lot to me that you came out tonight," Jake said as he stuck his hands in the pockets of his cow costume. "I'd have been fine with a movie night or something. It was pretty cool of you to fight your fears for me."

"You're the real hero tonight," Gia smiled at him warmly and kissed his cheek as they reached her driveway. Emma ran inside, tugging Jordan along behind her to see if Vanessa and Claire would let him spend the weekend, leaving Jake and Gia outside by themselves for a bit. "I don't know why you keep trying, but you've never given up on me. Thanks for talking to me at the mall."

"I keep trying because you're the most amazing person I've met," Jake chuckled, "You just don't believe it."

"Well, either way," Gia said. "Thanks."

"No problem. Are you feeling better? Safer?"

"Halloween is pretty much over," Gia nodded her head. "I survived it. As long as we take it step by step, I might even start to like this holiday again."

Gia held up her bucket of candies from the party, "I mean, who doesn't love getting so many treats?"

Jake chuckled, leaned in for a kiss and then was about to turn away when he had a thought. Gia had just reached her front porch so he called her, "The safe word is still good, you know. If you ever feel uncomfortable or just need someone, just ask for a glass of milk."

"And what if I actually just want a glass of milk?"

"I'll come to your rescue with some milk," Jake smirked. "Goodnight, Gia."

"Goodnight, Jake."

Gia walked into her home and shut the door. Then she leaned back against it with a content and loving smile on her face. Her mother walked over to ask her about the party but her question was answered just by the look on her daughter's face.

"Wow, Jordan's home and yet you're the one who looks like you're on cloud nine. I take it everything went well?"

"One of my better nights," Gia said. She took off her shoes and then her witch hat. Vanessa watched her daughter with a smile.

"I was a little worried this morning when Claire called and said you wouldn't be going to school. When she told me why, I really doubted you going to a Halloween party was a good idea. I guess I was wrong. Your friends took care of you?"

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"How do you know?"

"Claire phoned. I thought I said that. When you refused to go to school she called me to say she would be taking you to…"

"No, I mean… with guys," Gia lowered her voice slightly and then walked with her mother to the living room.

"With guys?" Vanessa asked. "You mean with Jake?"

"He's… literally perfect. He's everything I wanted but never thought I could get. I always feel… really good when he's around. Like, really good. But how do I know that's not just… because the last guy was so awful?"

Vanessa sat down on the couch and wrapped her arms around her daughter, "Have I ever told you when I knew your dad was the one?"

"I don't know if Jake's the one," Gia said. "I'd like to think so, but we're still really, really young."

"Gia," her mother smiled down at her and hugged her gently, "I knew your father was the one as soon as I realized I was happiest when he was around, and I was counting down the minutes to when I would see him when he wasn't with me. Being with him felt right. Making him happy made me happy. And I knew he was the one when I saw the look in his eyes that said the feeling was mutual. We needed each other. We just… couldn't be apart. I couldn't stop thinking about him. He couldn't stop thinking about me. And even if we drove each other crazy sometimes, we always needed each other. We would always find a way to work things out."

"Jake's always been there for me," Gia said. "I do feel good when I'm with him. It's like… nothing can hurt me when he's around. But how do I know that's real?"

"You're seventeen. You have plenty of time to figure out if this is just a high, or if it's forever," Vanessa kissed her cheek, "I'm just so glad to see you so happy."

"Thanks, mom," Gia said and hugged her mother briefly before Claire walked into the room, looking a little frustrated. Gia started to chuckle. Vanessa rolled her eyes.

"I take it the boyfriend isn't meeting your standards, based on that look," Vanessa said. "He's a good boy, Claire. Joe and I both thought so."

"You more than dad," Gia nodded her head. "But he had a protective side to him."

"I barely know the boy, and he and Emma are already upstairs in her room. I am not ready to become a grandmother."

"You just started mothering," Gia smirked. Claire nodded her head.

"Exactly!"

"Emma's a smart girl," Vanessa laughed. "You have nothing to worry about, Claire. It's been a while since those two have seen each other. They're going to need privacy."

"I know what privacy means. You and Joe used to ask for privacy all the time, then, bam! That thing pops out."

Gia crossed her arms over the chest, "One: ew. Two: hey! Three: now I'm not going to run interference for you anymore. Actually, I think I will; it's too much fun."

"Gia, leave them alone," Vanessa shook her head as Gia rose from the couch and started to make her way upstairs. "They get tonight! I trust them both!"

"Yeah, well this is my revenge for Jordan pranking me earlier," Gia shrugged her shoulders and then started knocking on Emma's bedroom door. "I hope everyone's decent! I'm coming in! We have a lot to talk about."

"I love her more and more," Claire smirked as she took a seat next to Vanessa on the couch.

"You know, it would mean a lot to Emma if you took this weekend to get to know and accept Jordan," Vanessa said. "He really means a lot to her, and the fact that they've made it this far, with all they've had to go through, means they're really planning on sticking it out in the long run."

"Is he really a good kid?"

"You couldn't ask for better for Emma."

"Oh, I'm sure I could," Claire nodded her head. Vanessa shoved her.

"The important thing is your daughter is happy with him. That's how you know he's a good boy."

"Should I really be taking advice from you?" Claire asked. "I mean, Gia's first boyfriend…"

"Gia wasn't happy. Joe and I were ignorant back then because we didn't think anything like that would ever happen to our little girl. My eyes are opened now. Jordan's a good kid. You have nothing to worry about. Just spend the weekend trying to get to know him. It'll really make your daughter happy."

"If I have to," Claire sighed and then got up from the couch, "I'm going to bed. If I hear any funny business going on inside this house, though, I'm stepping in."

"Goodnight, Claire," Vanessa laughed and waved goodbye.


	70. Lunch Date

The following day, Jordan decided he would tag along with Emma and the other Rangers to school. He had come down to spend the weekend with her and wouldn't let the six hour school day tear them apart. He didn't mind having to participate in classes or even doing the worksheets that Kira and Conner handed out. He just wanted to be with Emma.

When lunch time came around, Troy insisted he wanted to talk a little more with Kira. He felt the more he knew about the past Rangers and their experiences, the better off he was as leader. Noah went to Mr. Burley to pick his brain about a science experiment he planned on doing later in the year at a science fair. Jake was on the soccer field with Conner, practicing for the next soccer season. The city already didn't like him for abandoning his team at the final game at the end of the summer so he knew he needed to come back with a bang. Gia and Rebecca were both with the drama students, helping with some of the details of the play that would premiere to the school very soon.

Basically, Jordan and Emma had the whole lunch hour to themselves.

"So how is the new school?" Emma asked as she and Jordan picked out their table and took their seats. Jordan shrugged.

"Classic high school, you know. Jocks on top, nerds at the bottom, everyone else are bully food or invisible."

"And where are you?"

"I'm a jock, but I play nice," Jordan assured her with a little chuckle.

"You better," Emma smiled back. "What about police academies? Are you looking into that still?"

"I'm taking all the classes I need," Jordan nodded. "I'm on a straight path to becoming a police officer."

Jordan put his fork into what looked like chicken and then decided it wasn't edible so he went straight for the pudding. He glanced over at Emma, "What about you? I'll bet my school year is nothing compared to yours."

"We haven't gotten much done this year in terms of school," Emma shook her head. "You know how my other job kind of gets in the way."

"Then how is that going?"

"It's complicated. I've been sending you the texts."

"Yeah, but it's nothing like talking about it all in person," Jordan said and then put down his pudding cup with a dissatisfied sigh, "Man, my new school's cafeteria food is so much better."

"The other stuff is all pretty… well, it's been or is being handled," Emma shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes as Jordan pushed his lunch tray away and then started to count his change to see if he had enough money to get a snack from the vending machine instead. Not wanting him to pig out she offered him some of her food. It wasn't perfect, but the vegetarian options were always just a little more edible. "I think the hardest part was finding out dad isn't… well, dad."

"It's for the best, I think," Jordan shrugged and picked one of Emma's carrots from her plate. "I mean, your real dad aside, I think it's a good thing you could cut your ties with your dad. Now you don't owe him anything, not that you ever did."

"It's still… weird. I can't stop thinking of him as my dad. And he's certainly a better option than the real one."

"Mr. Morris? That's just freaky," Jordan shook his head. "Fortunately, you seem to take after your mother's side of the family."

"You know what Mr. Morris did to my mom that resulted in me, right?"

"He's a disgusting pig. I can't wait to lock scum like him up. I'm not making excuses for Cliff, but Mr. Morris was the real problem. If he acts that way with women, especially the women he's supposed to care for and protect, it's no one Cliff ended up so… messed up. The guy never had a good role model."

"But he had a working brain," Emma said. "He should have used it, but the option was there."

"Do you ever feel like you've betrayed Gia?" Jordan asked and then regretted the question when he saw the look on Emma's face. He didn't mean to upset her. He just wanted to talk with her, help her process through it some more. He knew from her texts that she hadn't completely put her family secret behind her. "Sorry, Em. I didn't mean that. I don't think you've betrayed her…"

"Sometimes I do," Emma whispered and pushed away her plate. "I mean… I can't help it, but Cliff and Mr. Morris are… a part of me. As long as I'm still around, they are."

"You're not them. Sometimes, nature says whoops. It's nobody's fault."

"I tell myself that too," Emma sighed. "It's just… I just… sometimes I think about what would have happened if…"

"You're a good person, Emma. No ifs, ands, or buts," Jordan cut her off with a shake of his head. "Whether or not you knew, you would have stood by Gia's side. She's your best friend. She's always got your back. You'd do the same for her."

"But that's who I am because the Morans raised me that way," Emma said. "What if mom had always known and…"

"There's no way that could have happened," Jordan shook his head again. "If your mom had been sober enough to know she slept with someone that night, she wouldn't have slept with anyone."

"Jordan…"

"I believe that," Jordan took Emma's hand and smiled, "You're exactly who you're supposed to be. It seriously sucks that Cliff's your brother and he did that stuff to Gia, but… I don't know, you believe in fate, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Someone had to be there to save Gia. Mr. Morris may have spawned the devil's son, but that night happened, and your life happened for a reason. Gia suffered, but now she's helping with a play? She wants to help other people? That's you. Where would she be without you?"

"In a ditch," Emma shrugged. "I still feel badly…"

"Don't. You have nothing to be ashamed of. I'm sorry I even brought it up," Jordan said and then he shook his head, "No, actually, I'm not. You're a good person, Emma Goodall. You're good through and through, and the fact that you came from… what you came from, and you've been through what you've been through just makes you better. There's no what ifs. This happened because it was supposed to happen."

"It did work out, in the end," Emma said. "I shouldn't really bother with the what ifs, right?"

"There are none."

"Thanks, Jordan. I'm really glad you came by."

"I'm here all weekend," Jordan smiled and then he leaned across the table for a kiss.

"People eat here, you know," Gia interrupted them and Jordan groaned loudly as they pulled apart and looked up at her. She smirked. He frowned.

"Can't I just get five minutes…?"

"You had the whole lunch hour," Gia said. "The bell's about to ring and we've got to get to class. Coach just told Jake that if we're late we're doing laps around the field all period. That includes you, Romeo."

"We should probably get going, then," Emma nodded her head. Jordan started to collect the trays and carried them to the recycling unit while Emma looked to Gia, "So how's the play coming along?"

"It's perfect," Gia smiled brightly and was practically bouncing in place. "The drama students did an amazing job with it!"

"Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you this excited," Emma chuckled.

"I watched the rehearsal. These kids are good. It's not too over the top, but I really feel like my message is getting across. I think kids are really going to listen to it."

"I'm sure it's going to make a difference," Emma nodded just as the bell rang, indicating they had five minutes to get changed and out to the fields for gym class before Coach McKnight decided to make them do laps. The girls and Jordan hurried off, but not all the students had to leave for class. One girl, who had been sitting just a few seats down from Jordan and Emma, got up, put her tray aside and hurried down to the auditorium, where the other drama students were rehearsing Gia and Rebecca's play once more. It was getting so close to opening night that they had been given permission to do rehearsals during last period on the days leading up to the premiere. Mrs. Chesterfield had allowed it as long as the students made up for the work they missed in class in homework.

The girl made her way to the stage and called for her fellow cast-mates to take five and signaled for them to gather around.

"You'll never guess what I heard when I was taking my lunch," she said. "This play is going immortalise us in this school."


	71. All Work

With former Rangers as teachers, Troy felt he and the team were getting a lot of training done during school hours. Conner really pushed them in their exercises now that he was their coach, and Kira didn't seem to mind tiring them all.

But training was never enough for Troy and after class was over he headed straight out to the woods. He needed some time to himself. He needed to think about where Vrak would take his plan next.

It felt like a lifetime ago since he had defeated Creepox, but it had only been a few months. Back then, Creepox had been the worst monster they had faced. He hated humans and wanted to see them wiped out, and after Troy left a humiliating scar on him in one of their battles, Creepox set his sight on the Rangers. He wanted to destroy them first. He wanted to destroy the red Ranger. Troy, fortunately, knew how to handle vengeful bullies. It had been a tough battle, but he had managed to defeat Creepox for good.

Now, the mutants were gone. When Bigs, Bluefur, and Vrak kidnapped three of the Samurai Rangers, they hadn't intended on Serena putting up as much of a fight as she had. Though it had cost her dearly, as she was still in bed recovering, last he had heard, she had created an earthquake so powerful it had destroyed the mutants' land and killed most of them. No mutants had stepped out since the terrible earthquake except for Bigs and Bluefur, but Troy wouldn't get cocky. He didn't want to assume they were _all_ gone. He didn't want to be caught off guard in case one turned up. But Tensou and Gosei had scanned the area around the chemical plant for life many times without results.

Then, in an attempt to destroy the Rangers for good once again, the enemy struck. Bigs and Bluefur, with the power of the aurora box in their hands took on the Rangers without their army of mutants to back them up. With a little help from Gosei, Gia, Emma, and Jake had defeated them for good, meaning there was no chance of them coming back and no chance of the mutants turning the planet into a polluted wasteland where humans would suffer and they would thrive.

But their opponents numbers dwindling did not mean the Rangers were any closer to having finally defeated the earth's threats for good. Vrak was getting stronger and he took all his failures up to date as lessons on how to hurt the Rangers a lot more in the next battles. He had always been the biggest threat the Rangers had to face and he was the one still standing. He was sly, manipulative, and he was a very dirty player. He would turn on his own allies, and abandon them if it meant he would survive another day. When Bigs and Bluefur, his allies for months now, needed him most to help against the Rangers, Vrak turned his back on them and let them fall, all because he no longer had the aurora box in his hands. Gia had destroyed it.

"After everything you've just been through, you're still going to come out here all alone?" Troy heard someone ask and it pulled him away from his thoughts and his training. He turned around and saw Kira and Conner had joined him out in the woods. He nodded his head and took a sip of water.

"Everyone's busy," he said.

"You've been training all day," Conner said. "Why aren't you having fun with the others?"

"Or doing your homework?" Kira suggested with a smirk. "There are no excuses for late homework when monsters aren't attacking the city."

"I'll get it done after dinner," Troy promised. "I was just thinking."

"Try not to over think this Ranger stuff," Conner shook his head and started to look around at the training grounds of the Megaforce Rangers. "You never know what's going to happen next, and you'll just stress yourself out trying to figure it all out."

"For once, I agree with the jock," Kira said. "It's good to stay one step ahead of the bad guys, but you can't drive yourself crazy with it. There's no telling what Vrak has up his sleeve, and if you spend too much time worrying about it, you're not going to have the strength to actually do anything once he does strike."

"Yeah, Vrak seems pretty hard to predict. Personally, when monsters weren't attacking Reefside, the guys and I would usually just carry on with our normal lives."

"I'm one of the guys," Kira rolled her eyes and sighed. Conner looked down at her and then shrugged it shoulders apologetically before he turned back to Troy.

"We would do what we could to stay on top, but it helped to let go every once in a while."

"So I commit one day to training since you guys arrive and you're getting on my case about relaxing?" Troy asked with a little frown.

"Hey, I've been in town for months," Conner shook his head. "You're always so… wound up."

"I'm the red Ranger. I'm the leader…"

"Yeah, dude, so was I," Conner smirked. "It's a lot of pressure, but have fun. You're the red Ranger. You're the guy everyone loves! You're the coolest Ranger on the team. Enjoy it. I did."

"Yeah, once you learned to balance soccer and Ranger duties," Kira said. She looked to Troy with a bit of a comforting smile. "We're not saying don't train. We know how important it is. But we made sure you all got enough training in school today. It's not by accident gym class went on for as long as it did."

"Well, a little bit of an accident," Conner scratched the back of his neck. "My phone died, so I had no idea what time it was. I didn't mean to go several minutes after the final bell."

"It's called a watch," Kira reminded her red Ranger. Conner smirked at her.

"Oh yeah, and what's your excuse, Rockstar? You were out there with me too."

Kira ignored him and turned back to Troy, "Go back to the city. Don't be out here alone. And just remember, this Ranger stuff can't be predicted. Take it one step at a time."

"Actually, what if this Ranger stuff can be predicted?" Troy asked and took a seat on a log he had turned into a bench so the Rangers could rest while they trained. He looked to Kira and Conner nervously. "I have these dreams about the Rangers."

"Like, dream dreams?" Kira asked. "Or… weird dreams?"

"I knew about my team before Gosei ever called us into action," Troy said. "If I meet a Ranger in person, I start to have dreams about them as Rangers and their adventures. They're always a little fuzzy, but… they're trying to tell me something. And I'm the only one who gets them. The others don't have these dreams. And none of the former Rangers I talked to know what I'm talking about."

"So?" Conner asked and Kira elbowed him in the shoulder. "Ow… sorry."

"Does anything happen in these dreams?"

"I most dream of other people's Ranger lives. Well, that and… a great war. All the Rangers that have ever existed are there."

"A great war?" Conner asked. "Like, final battle style or… bigger?"

"Bigger," Troy said. "Much bigger. All the Rangers are fighting, and from what I've seen it's still not enough."

"And you think training hard every day is going to change that?"

"It can't hurt," Troy said. "I can feel it. This war is coming. It's going to be messy, I know it is. I want to make sure I'm at my best when I go into it. And I want my team to be at their best. If anything happened to them it'd kill me."

"You're not responsible for everything they do," Conner shook his head. "I mean, when the time comes, it's up to you to make the tough decisions, but… whether your teammates follow you or not, that's their choice. And they had just as much a say in this Ranger stuff as you did. You're not some Ranger protector. You're just the red guy. You're the coolest Ranger on the team. Red's always the best. But you're not… You're being too hard on yourself."

"But if…"

"Hey, when my soccer team loses a game, it's not the captain's fault, or my fault. When one of my players gets hurt on the field, it's not our fault either. This stuff happens. We know the risks we take when we get called into action."

"We always say, once a Ranger, always a Ranger," Kira told Troy, but that's just because none of us could live with ourselves if we didn't help out other Rangers when they needed it. Personally, I'd rather die in some great war than live with the guilt of knowing all my friends got hurt and I let it happen."

"Same," Conner nodded his head. "And Troy, if this Great War does happen, you're not alone. You're have generations of Rangers fighting by your side. They have more experience than you. They've seen more battles than you. You'll be leading your team, but I'm sure one of the older guys will take the lead of the entire pack."

"Dr. O," Kira said. "If he's got any say, it's going to be Dr. O leading the charge. He just can't let it go."

"You're not alone, Troy, and you're not just a Ranger," Conner said. "Now, your friends were all talking about heading to the Brainfreeze. Go with them. Have a little fun. There will be plenty of time to train as a team on Monday again."

"Yeah, and I've agreed to do a little performance to thank Ernie for letting us use the Brainfreeze last night," Kira nodded her head. "It should be really fun. Invite your sister."

"Alright. I guess there's a little room to have fun," Troy nodded his head and started to pack up his bag before he headed back to the city with Kira and Conner.


	72. A Good Friday Night

The Brainfreeze was the busiest it had ever been. It didn't take long for news of Kira's appearance to travel around town and everyone was coming to hear her play. Ernie was making massive profits and the costumers were having a good time eating frozen yogurt and listening to Kira play. It was a great start to the weekend for all of them.

For Emma especially. She had loved Kira's music since the former yellow Ranger came out with her first single. Emma was enjoying being able to get a seat at the Brainfreeze so she could watch the performance and was enjoying the company. Jordan had his arms wrapped around her lovingly. There was no way her Friday night could get any better. Frozen yogurt, Kira Ford, and her boyfriend, and her friends were giving her and Jordan privacy by sitting over at the bar instead of with them at the table.

"My sisters are going to be so jealous when I tell them I was at the Brainfreeze when Kira played," Jordan chuckled into Emma's ear and she turned to him with a smile.

"Are they fans?"

"Big time."

"Why don't you ask Kira for an autograph for them?" Emma asked and then smirked, "Maybe then Jess will be more likely to skip a few of her dance classes so you can take the car and come down for a weekend."

"Hmm, she will owe me if I do that," Jordan chuckled. "I just might have to talk to Kira, then."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Emma smiled and just as she was about to lean in to kiss she saw her mother walking in to the Brainfreeze. She pulled away from Jordan a little bit when her mother sat down.

"I figured I'd find you here," she said. "Word travels fast when a huge celebrity is in town."

"Uh, mom," Emma bit her lip nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"Vanessa suggested I get to know Jordan a little bit," Claire explained. "When I heard Kira was doing her concert I figured I could find you two here."

"We're kind of on a date…"

"No, it's fine," Jordan shrugged his shoulders. "I think it's a good idea. We still have the weekend. I won't be leaving until Sunday night. Your mother and I might as well get to know each other now. Mrs. Goodall, I'm Jordan."

Claire smiled as she shook Jordan's hand. Emma groaned and excused herself from the table by saying she was getting another sundae. Almost instantly her mother started asking Jordan questions about himself.

"Ha-ha," Gia laughed when Emma walked up to the bar, "Meet the parent's night."

"Shut up," Emma muttered. "Does she have to do this now?"

"They seem to be getting along," Gia looked over at the table. "Jordan looked pretty comfortable. Though, I guess after meeting me and my parents, introducing himself to your mother would be a piece of cake."

"Couldn't she have waited until we got home? This is supposed to be a date."

"Em, we both know you and Jordan are going to lock yourselves in your room as soon as we get home," Gia rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you do in there. I don't want to know what you do, but you're not going to give your mother time to get to know him."

"For what it's worth," Jake said as he sat down after leaving to use the washroom, "I think it's nice your mother is actually trying to get to know Jordan. She accepts how you feel about him, and she just wants to figure out who he is."

"His mother acted like she knew me before we even met," Gia pointed to Jake, "You remember how that turned out, right? Maybe it puts a little damper on your date, but you still have all of tomorrow and Sunday to do whatever you want with him. Jordan and your mom seem to be getting along. That's a good thing. Go enjoy it, before he says something stupid."

Ernie brought over Emma's sundae and she sighed, but deciding her best friend was right, she took the treat and made her way back over to the table. She took her seat next to Jordan and saw her mother smiling at her brightly.

"Emma, you never said Jordan wanted to be a police officer."

"I told her about my little stunt as the red Ranger," Jordan said while he scratched the back of his neck nervously and his face looked a little red. "That really made me appreciate what you guys do as Rangers to protect people and the planet and inspired me to do the same."

"I think it's pretty noble," Claire said. "Doing what you can to help and protect people in need. We need more people who think that way, and not just on the police force."

"It's a lot of work, though," Jordan said. "My school schedule is pretty full, and the training is pretty intensive. I am kind of looking forward to it, though."

"I'm sure you'd be good at it," Claire smiled. Then she glanced at Emma for a quick moment and gave her a little wink. Emma knew that was a sign from her mother that she approved of Jordan, and she suddenly felt a little better about her mother crashing her date. She sat up a little straighter and decided she would push the conversation forward a little more.

"Jordan, why don't you show her some of your drawings," she said. Jordan nodded his head and reached into his backpack while Emma looked at her mother. "Jordan's almost useless with a camera, but you should see how amazing he is at drawing."

"It's just a bit of a hobby," Jordan shrugged as he set his notebook on the table for Claire to look through. "It's something I kind of picked up when I was younger. It helps me to relax."

"These are beautiful."

"I think I've gotten much better since that art class I took over the summer," Jordan said. It was then he noticed that Kira's performance was coming to an end and he excused himself, leaving Emma and Claire to look through his notebook on their own.

"I like him," Claire said to Emma and she smiled at her mother.

"Really?"

"He seems sweet. He's made eye contact with me, he's polite, and he's ambitious. It seems he really cares about you. And you do seem very happy."

"I really like him, mom."

"I like him too," Claire answered and then grabbed her bag and started to stand. Emma frowned.

"Where are you going? You just got here."

"I know when I'm crashing a date. I'm going to my support group now. The meeting is just around the corner. I just wanted to stop by and get to know the boyfriend a little bit."

Emma smiled happily. Her mother kissed her cheek and then started to leave just as Jordan came back.

"Kira's swamped with people," he said. "But I managed to get in first for an autograph. I'll definitely be winning the big brother of the year award now."

Emma leaned in to Jordan, holding him close. This really was the best way to spend a Friday.


	73. Ticket Sales

Saturday morning, Emma had taken Jordan out to the woods. She wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before he had to leave the following night and couldn't be taken from his side. She brought her camera with her to take pictures while Jordan admired the beauty that the autumn brought to the woods. All the leaves were changing colours, painting the once lush green woods in a red, orange, and yellow colour.

"You're going to have to send me some of these pictures," Jordan said as Emma snapped a picture of a tree. She looked to him with a smile.

"This is one of my favourite seasons," she said.

"One of? There are only four."

"I guess I have something I like about all of them," Emma chuckled. "Autumn brings out so many beautiful colours. You can't help but stare in awe at a sight like this one. It's just so beautiful."

"The red leaves are my favourite," Jordan said as he picked one up from the ground.

"When Gia and I were little, we would come out here with her mother. We'd rake up all the leaves into one really big pile and jump into it. There were so many leaves, we'd get lost inside," Emma smiled at the memory as she looked to Jordan, "We'd spend weeks picking the leaves out of each other's hair after that."

"We used to do that on our front lawn," Jordan said. "Dad would make a pile for my sister and I and we'd jump right into it. Or throw the leaves at each other. Usually it ended with us fighting. It was always fun, though."

"Does your knew place have forests like this?" Emma asked. "I'm sure you could draw some pretty cool pictures of it."

"Naw, there's nothing like this," Jordan shook his head. "I think the best we've got is the little park, but most of that is man-made anyways. I think they've replaced the grass with artificial grass."

"Seriously?"

"It looks nicer, but you know it's not real," Jordan said. "Harwood is definitely a one of a kind city when it comes to beauty."

"I feel really lucky to be living here, then," Emma said, and then when Jordan started to kick the leaves around with his feet, she snapped a picture of him. "Hey, this one turned out pretty good."

"Are you saying I'm not photogenic?" he asked as she showed him the picture.

"You're always making a face when I take your picture."

"It's awkward. I'm not a model. I don't know what to do," Jordan shrugged his shoulders. He looked at the picture again on her display and smiled, "But that is a really good shot."

"You could pass for a model," Emma said and reached up to kiss him. Suddenly her phone rang.

"Tonight's dinner says that's Gia," Jordan bet her as she reached for her phone in her bag to see who was messaging her. Emma sighed. Jordan shook his head, "Wow, even when she's not around she's got perfect timing."

"Perfect in her eyes," Emma said. She frowned when she read the message, "She wants to know if we're coming to the play tonight."

"Yeah, after you buy me dinner," Jordan chuckled.

Gia and Rebecca's play was going to premiere that night at the school. While students would have to wait for the following week to see it, Ms. Chesterfield had decided it would be a good idea to premiere the play a little early to paying audience members and then donate all the money they made to a local women's shelter. It would push Gia's idea to help a lot more people who needed it, and would also help give the school and the drama students some exposure. Ms. Chesterfield was just as proud of the play as Gia was and wanted to help get its message across to as many people as possible. It wasn't just teenagers who needed to be warned of the dangers of abusive relationships and poor decisions. Everyone could benefit.

The drama students had been more than happy to push the premiere date forward. This wasn't the typical performance some of them had been doing for four years now. It was no Shakespeare. This was something new, something a little more real and darker than most of the works they were allowed to show on school property. This was their chance to shine.

"Apparently, the tickets are selling really well," Emma said. "Ms. Chesterfield got a lot of interest from people around town and she's not sure she can hold an extra ticket for you for much longer."

"Really? This is a high school play."

"Ms. Chesterfield's really good. It doesn't hurt that Kira Ford said she was attending. I think Coach McKnight also got his team to come to support Gia. And it's for a good cause."

"I guess I better get my ticket then. Do I have to pay?" Jordan asked. Emma quickly typed a message to Gia asking and then chuckled at the reply.

"She says yes."

"Aw, why? You didn't have to?"

"She says she likes me better than you. And it's for a good cause."

"Your money would go towards the good cause."

"It's five bucks," Emma shrugged. "And I'm buying dinner tonight. Just pay for the ticket."

"Fine, fine," Jordan put his hands in his pockets and then took Emma's bag to carry it on the way to the school. Then he leaned into her, "But if I have to pay, then I get to do this," he said and pulled her in for a kiss. After they pulled apart, Emma's phone went off again. She checked her messages and chuckled.

Jordan frowned, "Now what?"

"She says you better not do that during the play."

"How the hell does she know what I'm doing?" Jordan asked. Emma chuckled again then pulled him in for another kiss.

-Megaforce-

Down at the school, Gia and Rebecca were doing their best with Ms. Chesterfield to keep track of the number of tickets they were selling for the play that night. It was a little short notice for the announcement of the advanced premiere date, but as soon as Ms. Chesterfield (with Kira's permission) announced that a celebrity was going to be in attendance, some people couldn't get their ticket fast enough.

"This play better be as good as we think it is," Rebecca said to Gia. The yellow Ranger shrugged her shoulders.

"It's not like we're making a profit from all this cash. It's going to the women's shelter. All of it."

"I just don't want to disappoint," Rebecca shook her head.

"The pressure if one our actors," Ms. Chesterfield said. "They will be the faces of the play. You two are remaining as anonymous as possible."

"As possible," Gia rolled her eyes. "Everyone already knows what happened to me. You'd have to be an idiot not to put the pieces together.

"Whoa," Rebecca suddenly said, "I'm sold out!"

"Me too," Ms. Chesterfield smiled. "You know, maybe we'll have a second performance in a couple of weeks, depending on how well this one goes."

"I don't care about the money," Gia shook her head. Seeing she still had quite a long line up, but only a few tickets left, and Jordan and Emma weren't close, she snuck an extra ticket under the table and continued to hand out the rest. "Well, I do care about the money if it's going to the shelter, but I just want people to get it."

"I'm sure they will," Ms. Chesterfield assured her.

Gia sold her last ticket, with the exception of the one she had hidden under the table and had to turn people away. Then she, Rebecca, and Ms. Chesterfield headed inside the school to count the money they made.

"You're sure?" Rebecca asked Ms. Chesterfield. "Because I know I read a lot of books and stuff that have powerful messages, but as soon as I put them down, I kind of just go on with my life."

"You read a lot of books?" Gia looked up at Rebecca teasingly. The younger girl sighed.

"I watch a lot of movies. The point is, how do we know our message is going to stick?"

"Change isn't going to happen overnight," Ms. Chesterfield said. "But you worked hard, you were committed enough to see this project through, and you kept it very real. I'm proud of the work you did, and I'm sure people will see the purpose of this play. It may not change lives, but it will touch people."

"I really hope so," Gia said. She offered Ms. Chesterfield her portion of the money, "Two hundred and fifty dollars."

"Whoa, how did you count so fast?" Rebecca huffed and looked at her pile, "I lose count at twenty every time."

"Give it to me," Gia said and took Rebecca's pile to start counting. "You just go keep watch at the door for Emma and Jordan. They promised they were coming."

Rebecca nodded her head and hurried back to the main door of the school. On her way, she overheard the drama students rehearsing the play, and while she didn't have the entire script memorised, she knew it well enough to know that what they were saying wasn't something that was supposed to be said. She walked down to the auditorium and opened the door.

"You guys are meant to be rehearsing," she said. All the drama students looked to her.

"We are."

"Oh, I thought I heard something that wasn't from the play."

"Yeah, we made a little change," the student who was playing Cliff's character said.

"A little change? The script was already approved…"

"It's just small," the actor shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. The show will still be great. Some of the lines just needed a little tweaking because they didn't roll off the tongue very easily."

"Oh, okay," Rebecca said with a smile, "Break a leg tonight, guys!"

She closed the door and let them continue with their rehearsal while she hurried to the front door of the school. She saw Emma and Jordan had finally made it and let them inside.

"Welcome to school on a Saturday. That weird feeling doesn't go away. Can I take your money?" she asked. Jordan reached into his wallet and pulled out the five dollars for the ticket.

"You promise it won't be a snooze fest?" he asked. Rebecca crossed her arms over her shoulder.

"Gia and I worked very hard on this. We're bearing our souls for the world to see, and you're worried it might be a snooze fest? Ten dollars, please."

"I thought the tickets were…"

"You offended me," Rebecca smirked. "The price is now ten dollars."

"But…"

"It's for charity," Rebecca said. Jordan groaned and reached into his wallet once more.

"Can you break a twenty?"

"Nope," Rebecca gave him back his five and swiped his twenty. Before Jordan could do anything she hurried back to Ms. Chesterfield's office. Emma chuckled as Jordan turned to her in shock.

"The little punk stole my money!"

"You called her play a snooze fest."

"I said I hope it wasn't going to be."

"You should pick your words better," Emma chuckled. She took his hand, "C'mon. I'll buy you a smoothie."

"Can you get my money back?"

"It's for a good cause," Emma shook her head. Jordan sighed.

"Alright, I'll take the smoothie."


	74. Last Minute Changes

It was just minutes before the play was supposed to premiere. This was the night she had been waiting for. This was going to be the play that got her started with her efforts to stop abuse. She wanted to get her message out about how damaging it was to the younger students before it hurt them, but with some help from Ms. Chesterfield, as well as the drama students, her message was going to reach out to a lot more people and was now going to make a much bigger splash – if it made any. People all around the city were going to see this play. It wasn't just going to be the students in school. Men, women, old, young, rich, middle class… everyone.

But Gia didn't mind how big the play was getting. What was starting to get to her was what everyone would see when they watched the play. Though her story had been intertwined with Rebecca, it was still her story. It was her abuse, her hardship, her suffering. It was the year of torture she spent with Cliff, and the agonizing years that came after it. It was her at her lowest points, at her most vulnerable, for everyone to see.

She didn't like being vulnerable. She didn't like knowing that soon the play would tear down her walls and let the world see her for who she truly was. Even if the play never mentioned her, all the names were changed, and the story wasn't exactly hers, this was still her life. And people were going to judge her life.

"Gia?" she heard a knock on the classroom door and jumped. The door opened and her mother stepped inside. "It's about to start. Are you coming?"

Gia shook her head. Her mother came over to her and held her.

"It's gonna go well. You worked hard, the script was amazing…"

"What if people don't like it? What if this is just a waste of time? What if no one gets it?"

"Screw them," Vanessa kissed her forehead. "We don't need them."

"Mom, I'm scared…"

"Of what?"

"Everyone's going to know. I don't… like that."

"I know," Vanessa said. "It's not easy pouring your heart out. Some people might not like it, but the people who matter are already out there supporting you. And what does it matter what some people think?"

"I want people to…"

"You're not changing the world right now, Gia. You're putting a message out there. It could be years before anyone hears it," Vanessa looked down at her daughter with a smile. "What happened to just wanting to help one person? I'll bet you there is someone in that crowd right now who needs to see this play. You change one mind and you've already made a world of a difference."

"And what if I don't?"

"It's not like your efforts wouldn't have been in vain," Vanessa shook her head. "You've already helped Claire. She's been feeling so much better since the two of you talked. There's one person right there."

"Two people," Rebecca said as she came into the classroom. "You helped me, remember? I moved in with Troy and his parents after dad hit me. He didn't mean it. At least, he says he didn't, but he's only trying to fix himself now because I made it clear I wouldn't take it. You told me I had to stand up for myself. You told me I deserved better. I'm with the Burrows now and my life has honestly never been better. That's thanks to you."

Rebecca walked over to Gia and hugged her. "The success of this play says nothing about you, Gia. If people don't get it, it's because they don't understand. Only people who suffered or are suffering will see what this play is really about, and those are the people we wanted to help. They're the reason you're bearing your soul. Would you rather call off the play and let even just one more person fall through the cracks? Do you really want someone else to fall for a guy like Cliff?"

"What if people… hate me?"

"Then they'll have to go through me," Rebecca said and put her fists up, "I might not be a Power Ranger but I know how to put up a fight. Let me at them. I'll give them what they deserve."

"It's an anti-violence message," Vanessa gently lowered Rebecca's fists. The younger girl sighed.

"Fine, but I don't think a real good talking to is going to be as effective," Rebecca turned to Gia and smiled, "Come on, we've got the best seats in the house. Everyone's waiting for us. It's going to be great, I can feel it!"

"We'll be right out," Vanessa assured Rebecca and let her go off without them. She turned to Gia and brushed her hair behind her ear, "I wanted to give you something."

"What is it?" Gia asked. Her mother reached into her purse and Gia saw her pull out a jacket.

"When I was getting ready for the play, I found this in the closet," she offered the jacket to Gia. "It was…"

"Dad's," Gia put the jacket on. Naturally, it was a little big, but Vanessa felt it fit perfectly.

"You remember that jacket?"

"It was his favourite," Gia nodded her head. "He said he wore it the night he met you."

"And the day you were born," Vanessa added. "That jacket was with him for a lot of his best moments. He'd be here, you know. And he would be so proud of you for doing this. He always said you were going to do something really amazing one day. I thought I'd bring the jacket along. That way…"

"He's here," Gia smiled and then pulled her mother in for a hug, "Thank you."

"Come on," Vanessa moved away from Gia after the hug and wiped her eyes before her tears made her make-up run. "We don't want to miss the play."

Gia nodded her head and made her way down to the auditorium with her mother. The room was packed with people getting settled into their seats. Some were obviously looking around the room for Kira Ford, who promised to be in attendance, but Gia noticed a lot of people were taking time to read the handouts they had been given at the door, explaining a little bit of the background of the play as well as where the money from the ticket sales would be going. It lifted her heart a bit to see this.

She made her way to the front row, where her friends were all waiting for her. She saw an open seat between Jake and Emma and took her place. Jake noticed the addition to her wardrobe and frowned.

"That's a dude's jacket."

"It was dad's," Gia said.

"It looks great," Jake said and he wrapped his arm around her. Finally, the lights dimmed as the play began. Gia had read the script and memorized it, and just as she knew it would, it started with her character and Emma's character on their first day of high school. While the two girls spoke, Gia's character's eye met with Cliff's and right away the audience could tell a romance was starting.

Gia felt Jake take her hand. She leaned into him.

On the stage, the scene changed. It was now the lunch period and Emma's character had left Gia to sign up for girl's hockey try-outs. It was then Cliff approached Gia.

In the audience, Gia watched the scene play out and it was just like she remembered from her own life. Cliff was charming and polite. He said all the right things and he made her feel special. She was a freshman, he was a senior. She was still a nobody and he was already the star of the school. She couldn't resist him. No one could resist him. No one knew what he was capable of.

The next few scenes quickly passed through the good stage of their relationship. Gia and Cliff were getting to know each other. He was a gentleman and she was just a young girl, unable to resist his charm still.

Eventually came the scene that, no matter how many times she read the script, she struggled to get through it. It was the first time Cliff hit her, and the very start of when her relationship with him went south. Gia buried her face in Jake's shoulder as she heard the arguing and the sound of her character being smacked around.

She got the chance to breathe when Rebecca's life started to come into her character. The play moved ahead a couple of months and it was obvious Gia was pregnant. She was now fighting with her parents, arguing with them over her life. Her parents, just like her real ones, just wanted what was best for her, but she wouldn't listen to them. She insisted that Cliff would help her raise her baby and that she could take care of herself. The scene ended when she stormed out of the house, leaving her parents behind and running back into Cliff's arms.

Then, for a while, things were looking good. Cliff's character made a bit of a turn around. He and Gia were back in the honeymoon stage of the relationship, where they were deeply in love and it felt like nothing could go wrong. Watching the play, Gia felt sick to her stomach, knowing what would come next, but it seemed Cliff even had the audience fooled, as she heard some people whispering that they were glad he realized how wrong he was.

The hitting started in the next scene after a fight between Gia and Cliff. Taken from a part of Rebecca's life, Gia's character realized she was too young to have a child and wanted to talk to Cliff about adopting out the baby. Enraged she would consider giving up their child, Cliff lost it on her. When Gia refused to change her mind, Cliff gave her an ultimatum. She could either keep the baby and stay with him, where he would look after them, or she could run off on her own.

This was the part of the play where Gia was supposed to decide to stay with Cliff, but goes to talk to her best friend, who throughout the play had been trying to convince her Cliff was a bad guy. But the play didn't work out that way. Gia watched, in horror as her character made the decision to walk away. She wasn't necessarily opposed to the fact that her character was deciding to walk away from the abuse, but this wasn't how the play was supposed to go. Gia watched on in fear and disgust as her character decided to run away from Cliff and turn to her best friend.

Only for Emma to turn her away, and in a surprise twist reveal that she was Cliff's sister. Emma's character went on about how she found out, and how she found out that Cliff's father was abusive to his wife, as well as a cheater. Emma's monologue, which hadn't been in the script at all, managed to turn the whole play around, turning Cliff into a victim who, because he had no positive male role model in his life, was left with no choice but to follow in his father's footsteps, and he could only treat women the way he saw his father treat them. Somehow, Emma's monologue turned everyone against Gia as she convinced everyone in the audience that Cliff just needed someone to help him, and Gia should have stuck with him. At the end of the monologue, Emma told Gia how she was disgusted that Gia would turn her back on the man she claimed she loved, and Emma chose to help Cliff over her best friend.

The play itself ended with Gia regretting her decision to leave Cliff, as it left her completely alone. As for Cliff, with a little help from his sister, he managed to turn his life around. When the curtain fell, the audience cheered. Gia barely heard some people saying they hadn't expected an ending like that one and other muttering how she got what she deserved for abandoning Cliff when it was so obvious he needed her. Unable to take it anymore, Gia rushed out of the auditorium in tears. Jake and her mother were right behind her. The rest of the Rangers as well as Ms. Chesterfield, remained in their seats, completely stunned.

Rebecca was the only one who got up, and after the drama students left the stage, she stormed after them. She met them backstage and slammed the door after walking in.

"What the hell was that?" she shouted.

"The biggest plot twist ever!" Gia's actress said with a smile. "No one saw that coming! Did you see the reactions out there?"

"What the hell happened to Gia finding her voice? Or the pain she went through giving up her son? You made it seem like her giving up her son to some other family was as easy as… throwing away an old, useless rag! What's all this bullshit about Cliff needing help and everyone turning their back on Gia?"

"Don't you know the real story?" Emma's actress spoke up. "I heard Emma and her boyfriend talking in the cafeteria. Cliff comes from a broken home. It's not his fault his father didn't teach him right from wrong."

"Or that Emma's actually Cliff's sister," Gia's actress added. "That was too good to pass up!"

"That's not what's important! If anything, including that would make Emma's character better! She would be proof that it doesn't matter where you come from. What matters is what you do with your life! You ruined this play!"

"The applause at the end don't agree with you," Cliff's actor shook his head.

"I trusted you! Gia trusted you, all of you, with her heart and soul! You were supposed to help people see abuse was bad and that there was a way out."

"There was. The boyfriend…"

"No! You had Gia's character wishing she was still with the man who abused and raped her! What the hell is that supposed to tell people?"

"We made a play…"

"You're disgusting!" Rebecca shouted and pointed to everyone involved in the play. "You're all disgusting. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to make sure you guys are exposed for this, and Gia's message does get out there."

"It's just a play…"

"It was more than just a play," Rebecca growled before she stormed off and slammed the door behind her. The actors all rolled their eyes until the door opened again and Ms. Chesterfield walked in. She did not look happy.


	75. The Play's Consequences

Gia had been terrified of how people would react to the play, and whether or not they would understand the message she was trying to get across, but never did she expect her message to be twisted against her. The drama students had completely betrayed her, and as a result, made a mockery of her message and of her life. They turned Cliff, of all people, into a victim who just needed saving, and turned the world against her, making her look like the bad guy for not staying with the man who abused her.

She ran off from the play because she couldn't take it. She couldn't stand to hear the comments about "poor Freddie," which was Cliff's name in the play. She couldn't bear to hear as people sympathised with him. She couldn't handle knowing people had turned their backs on her, her story, and her message.

She didn't make it very far, though. Before she could leave the school Jake caught up to her and took her in his arms. He didn't know what to say as he held her. He still wasn't even sure what had really happened. He just knew the play hadn't gone like Gia and everyone hoped and Gia was hurt by it. It angered him right down to the bone, and he wished there was something he could do about it, but for now he had to be with Gia. The drama students, and anyone else involved in this disaster would have to wait until later.

Eventually, Vanessa caught up to them. She already had her cars keys out and was ready to go home. She told Jake he was more than welcome to stay the night and the three of them headed off.

In the auditorium, the crowd was quick to leave after the play. Kira knew the Rangers would need to talk, especially with the drama students, and so offered to sign autographs outside to get people moving. When the room was cleared and it was just the Rangers, Jordan, and Claire left, there was a long silence before Emma spoke up.

"How did they know?" she asked and looked around at her friends. They knew what she was asking. In the play, her character revealed that she was Cliff's sister. That wasn't part of the original script and couldn't have been something the drama students decided to add at the last minute just for fun. The entire ending of the play bothered Emma, but she needed to know how that one detail made its way in. Her biological family was not something she ever wanted to advertise. It was bad enough most of the city knew, but if this play was going to be performed in front of the entire school, rumours were bound to start.

"We didn't say anything," Troy and Noah assured her. Jordan gulped. Emma growled at him.

"You…?"

"No, no," he shook his head, "But we did talk about it yesterday at lunch, remember? Someone must have overheard and… well, did this."

"Emma, the entire end of the play is just ridiculous," her mother took her in her arms. "We know the truth. They completely changed your character."

"Yeah, there's no way that's you," Noah agreed. "You'd never turn your back on Gia."

Rebecca stormed back into the auditorium and clearly she was not at all happy with the way the play turned out. She had tears streaming down her cheeks and angrily threw her bag to the ground.

"Becca…" Troy called out to her but she didn't listen. She jumped up to the stage and started to throw around some of the props. Troy went after her, and grabbed one of the chairs from the set out of her hands before she smashed it. "Rebecca, stop this."

"No," Rebecca said and then pushed over the table. "If their set is ruined they can't do the play this week! No one else is seeing this mess!"

"We're not going to let them show the play again until they fix…"

"No," Rebecca shook her head, "We're not letting them perform this play again. They ruined everything and they didn't even care! They think they did a good job because everyone applauded at the end! I can't imagine how Gia feels, but I know I'm disgusted!"

"We all are," Troy said as he led her off the stage and into one of the seats in the audience. Rebecca hugged her knees to her chest and shook her head.

"You don't get it, Troy. Giving up Jesse was the hardest thing I've ever done and they… I just wanted to show people that sleeping around isn't a joke. Even if you don't plan on keeping any baby you could get pregnant with, it's still… it's not worth it! That play made it look like handing Jesse away was easier than throwing away trash! It's not! It's the biggest failure of my entire life and they don't care!"

Troy nodded to his sister and then took her in his arms. He couldn't comfort her anymore. All he could do was hold her.

"We should go home," Claire said to Emma and started to lead her and Jordan off. "We'll figure out how to clean up this mess."

As they walked out, Kira came back inside, pulling a confused Conner in tow. She slammed the door to the auditorium shut and then shook her head furiously.

"I can't do it," she said. "I can't listen to it anymore."

"You promised autographs," Conner reminded her. "People are going to be disappointed in you."

"Watch me not give a damn," Kira shook her head. "As long as those people keep ignoring what happened to Gia, I'm going to keep ignoring them! Most of my fans are girls, or parents of young girls! Would they really choose to take the side of the jackass beating up the people they loved? I'm not doing it. I'm done!"

Kira threw her hands in the air and then walked to the front of the auditorium. She saw Rebecca was still sobbing in Troy's arms and knew something needed to be done.

"Refund the money."

Rebecca sniffed and looked up at Kira, "But it's going for a good cause…"

"This play isn't going to help anyone," Kira shook her head. "Least of all the women out there who need it. How much money did the play make?"

"Just… just over a thousand dollars," Rebecca answered. Kira smiled and reached into her wallet.

"I'll double it."

"What?"

"I'll double it," Kira said and wrote up two checks for Rebecca, "Here, half for you to donate to a center for teen mothers, and the other half will go to the woman's shelter."

"But… but…"

"Albums are selling really well," Kira shrugged her shoulders, "And my concerts are sold out on most nights. Don't worry about me."

Rebecca managed to smile a little bit and threw her arms around Kira, "Thank you."

"I'll make sure people don't remember this disaster," Kira promised. "You'll get your message out. You can use my voice if you have to."

"The soccer team doesn't have a lot of money to throw around, but we can definitely do something to help. The guys are still a little peeved with Jake, but they are a team. If we put our heads together, I'm sure we can up with an idea."

"Really?" Rebecca asked and Conner nodded his head.

"Anything to help."

"All that's left to do now is talk with the drama students, I guess," Noah said.

"Oh, they've been dealt with," Ms. Chesterfield assured them all as she came back. "They'll be spending the rest of the year volunteering at the women's shelter. I think it's a suitable punishment."

"You really want them working at the women's shelter?" Noah asked. "After what they just did?"

"After talking with them, I know they need to realise this play isn't just about making a scene," Ms. Chesterfield nodded her head. "They need to understand who they were trying to help and why their original message was so important. There's nothing better than some first-hand experience."

"What about our play?" Rebecca asked. "I don't want them…"

"The play is cancelled," Ms. Chesterfield said. "I'm so sorry, Rebecca, but we can't let this happen again. I can't let any of my students think that they can excuse their bad behaviour."

"Not to mention we can't let girls think they need to stand by a guy who hurts them," Noah said. Just then he heard his name being called, and saw his parents waiting for him by the door. "There's my ride. I've got to go."

"We should probably get home too," Troy suggested to Rebecca and helped her out of her seat. "Mom and dad are probably wondering where we are."

Rebecca nodded her head and as she started to make her way out with her brother she looked down at the two checks she was holding in her hands and smiled. This wasn't how she expected the night to go, but at least a difference was being made.


	76. Gia's Support Group

_Author's Note: You reviewers have been so awesome lately. Thanks to all of you. It's a very busy time of year and even I'm feeling the strain, so it's time for another deleted scene. Same rules as always._

_Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

From the moment Gia told him about Cliff, Jake had been trying to figure out how someone could ever put his hands on someone else, never mind someone they claimed to love. Jake wanted to know how not so he could learn, but just so he could understand what could drive a man to that point and he honestly couldn't figure it out. If ever he struck Gia, even without the intention of hurting her, he wouldn't know how to live with himself afterwards. He certainly would never be able to look her or any woman or anyone in the eyes again.

But it wasn't just Cliff he couldn't understand. It was anyone who could, without a second though, hurt other people for their own personal gain. People like Cliff, or Mick and Alex, or even Vrak. And now, people like the drama students, who cared more about putting on a play with a big surprise twist that would shock their audience then about getting out an important message.

The drama students had crushed Gia, and it wasn't just about ruining her message, which Jake had convinced her she could find another way to make her voice heard. The drama students had completely belittled her and her achievements. While Jake was not opposed to Cliff getting some serious help for his attitude, the point of the play wasn't to show people that abusers just needed someone in their corner. The point of the play had been about empowering their victims to stand up for themselves, to have more respect for themselves, and to believe they were better than all the nasty things they were hearing from their abuser. When the drama students turned the play around, they had squashed Gia's character into a pathetic wimp, and sent out the message that she should have stayed with Cliff and suffered all his abuse because he didn't know any better.

They turned her into the bad guy. They made it look like Cliff was doing the best he could and she was wrong for leaving him. She was wrong for wanting more for herself. She was wrong for getting herself out of a relationship that caused her so much pain.

She was nothing, in other words. She was nothing and no good. She didn't even deserve someone as disgusting as Cliff. It broke her to see there were still people who would believe that, and people who would support her. Outside of her group of friends, no one raised an eyebrow. No one pointed out how wrong the play was in its portrayal of Gia's character. They all sided with Cliff. They all had sympathy for Cliff. They all hated her.

Jake had no idea how someone could do that to another person, especially without blinking an eye. It disgusted him to no end. While Gia was sound asleep on his lap, completely exhausted from her night of screaming and crying, Jake couldn't even close his eyes. He was so furious with the drama students and with everyone who cheered them on. He hated this pain they caused Gia, and the pain they were causing to everyone who had, was, and would suffer like she had.

Just then, a light turned on in the hallway. Jake shifted slightly on the couch as he heard someone coming down the stairs. He didn't want to move too much because he didn't want to wake Gia, but he wanted to know who was coming down and what they were still doing up at this late hour. Fortunately, Jordan walked into the living room. He saw Jake was still up and went to take a seat on the other couch.

"I got Emma to talk about Cliff and Mr. Morris at school," he confessed and Jake frowned.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Troy and Noah wouldn't talk about it around school," Jordan said. "You and Gia probably didn't. Emma certainly didn't want the secret getting out. That's a pretty nasty skeleton considering…"

Jordan sighed and pointed to Gia. Jake nodded his head.

"You're not the one who told the drama kids to use that idea," Jake said. "Besides, who cares what some people think? That's between Gia and Emma, and if they don't have a problem with it, I don't see why anyone else should."

"I just feel bad," Jordan said. "I should have picked a better place to talk with Emma about something like that. If I had, this wouldn't have happened."

"You didn't mean for this to happen," Jake shook his head. "Dude, don't worry about it. You didn't talk to those drama students and plant that idea in their head. They must have heard about it and decided to be total jackasses about it."

Jordan sighed. He leaned back into the couch and looked up at the ceiling. Then he turned back to Jake, "How is she?"

"Sleeping," Jake shrugged. "It really got to her. I think what hurts her the most is that she trusted the drama students with all this and they betrayed her. They didn't take her story seriously."

"Emma's pretty upset too. She can't stand the thought of people thinking she would ever turn her back on Gia."

"That was a low blow," Jake agreed.

"The play isn't supposed to make it obvious that that's Gia, though, right? Well, it is Gia and Rebecca's story…"

"The whole city pretty much knows what happened to Gia. She made the front cover of the paper after Cliff threw her from the window, and again when they found out Vrak murdered Cliff."

"So, people will know it's her?"

"Pretty much. The other kids at school will for sure once it gets out. Everyone's going to now who Emma's real father is."

"Do you think there's a way we can turn this around?" Jordan asked. "Keep the other kids from finding out? Pretend this play never happened?"

"Have you met people? Do they not have teenagers in your new school?"

"Can the Power Rangers go back in time?"

"Yeah, after our last time travel adventure, I'd rather not mess around with time," Jake shook his head.

"Oh yeah… good point," Jordan said. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"Hope something good comes out of this," Jake looked down at Gia and sighed, "Make sure this doesn't send her backwards."

Jordan nodded his head. He and Jake then heard someone else coming down the stairs just before Emma walked in. She looked to Jordan.

"What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"I thought you got up to pee," Emma said. She took a seat next to him and nestled into his arms. "You didn't come back."

"Sorry. Jake and I were just talking."

Emma sighed as she turned to Jake and Gia on the other couch, "You got her to sleep?"

"Sleep got to her. How are you doing?"

"I've been better," Emma said. "If the kids at school find out…"

"What do they know?" Jordan asked her in an attempt to cheer her up before she started to beat herself up again over something she had absolutely no control over. "You know where your loyalties lie. Gia knows too."

"I don't want them making comments. I don't want it getting to Gia. I don't want anyone to convince her I could… do that."

"She knows you better than anyone else," Jordan reminded her. "No one is going to change her mind. Don't worry about it, Em."

"This play was supposed to be a good thing," Emma whispered. "She was so excited for it. She worked so hard. She stepped so far out of her comfort zone… if this had gone well, it would have worked wonders for her. Not to mention all the people it could have helped. The people she could have helped. Now she might never…"

"We're not letting the drama kids kick her down," Jake shook his head. "Gia is going to help people. We'll find a way for her to get her message out. Her voice will be heard. I'll make sure of it."

"We'll make sure of it," Jordan said and gently squeezed Emma. She smiled a little bit.

"I guess this isn't the end of the world. We can help her bounce back from this."

"We'll talk with the others tomorrow. We'll come up with something," Jake promised.


	77. Rebecca and Gia's Talk

That morning, Rebecca forced herself to get out of bed and got dressed. Talking to her friends after the disaster that was supposed to be hers and Gia's play the night before had helped her see that there would be something good that came out of the drama students' horrible interpretation of her life, but there was still a long way to go before she could truly start making a difference. The promise that her message would be heard eventually meant nothing until it came true, and while it was very generous, Kira's money couldn't stop the problem.

For Rebecca, getting pregnant was the biggest mistake of her life. She had never intended on having a baby. After her mother died, her father had no idea how to help her cope with her grief. Furious with him, she started acting out. She needed him to know that she needed his help and his attention. On the other hand, her father didn't give her bad behaviour any attention and hoped that she would stop. Rebecca pushed and pushed, doing all she could to infuriate her father so he would step up. She lashed out by getting involved with the wrong group of people at school and sleeping around with boys her father would never approve of. To make matters worse, she ignored the use of protection; just to piss her father off all the more. It only came back to bite her in the ass when she wound up pregnant, the father didn't want anything to do with her or the baby, and her own father set his mind on her raising her baby without first addressing all the other problems she was going through.

While Rebecca couldn't exactly tackle family problems, because they were all different and they were all very complicated, she could help warn other students against the dangers of sleeping around and being stupid. She regretted all the nights she spent with boys and she regretted thinking that she was too young to have a baby, so she couldn't get pregnant. She regretted not respecting herself and not having her first time be with someone she loved and trusted.

Of course, her biggest regret was her son. When she had first gotten pregnant, and first confided to a few people about her situation, they all had solutions for her. Some told her about abortion. She didn't consider it but knew it was one option for girls her age, and knew there were girls who went that route. But abortion wasn't as easy as it sounded. There was more involved in that decision than just making it. Rebecca never considered it, but for the point of the play had looked into it and saw so many girls had underestimated how it would play with their emotions. So many girls, even the ones who didn't regret what they had done, said it was the hardest decision they had made, and they wished they had been smart enough to avoid it altogether.

Keeping the baby was another option. One Rebecca had been forced by her father to consider, and so she knew firsthand about how difficult it was. Her life would no longer belong to her. She would have to find a way to raise a baby, which was impossible without a job. Unfortunately, to get enough money from that job to provide for her baby would require her to work many long hours. That alone would interfere with school which would interfere with her finding a better job. Her days would be stressful; her nights would be full of crying (and not just from the baby). It would change her life forever, and while some teen parents found a way to make it all work out in the end, too many of them would always say they wished they had waited. Once there was a baby in the picture, the time for being a carefree, stupid teenager was over.

For Rebecca, adoption was the best decision, but it was no easier than the other two. She had to carry the baby to full term and care for it right up until the moment it was born. She had to suffer just like every other expectant mother, and at the end of all that she had to deliver the baby, which had easily been the most painful, scariest, messiest moment of her life. And while most mothers got to keep their babies afterwards, Rebecca had to give him up. She bonded with the baby while he was in her stomach. For nine long months she had nurtured him, protected him, and loved him, and then suddenly that was ripped away from her. She had no idea how much she had cared for him until she had to hand him off. She knew he was better off, and she was better off with this arrangement, but her heart broke every time she thought of him. Like all the other teen mothers, she wished she had waited.

She wanted girls to know that. She wanted them to understand that high school was full of big decisions just like the ones she had to make. She wanted everyone to know that though there would be pressure and temptation to do the wrong, stupid, fun things, they needed to be smart. One night of fun in high school lead to months of humiliation as she was forced to walk around with a huge belly. One night of fun led to months of preparing for the arrival of a baby. Nothing of that process had been fun for her. One night of fun and carelessness had led her to a lifetime of regret and pain as she was forced to give up her first born child. She would have kids again one day (in the distant future), but her first born was gone forever.

The drama students ruined that message for her. Instead of showing how painful adopting out her son had been, they made it seem like Gia's character just handed the baby off like he was nothing, like he was a used tissue that needed to be tossed. It went against everything Rebecca wanted to say.

Rebecca knew she had to find another way to get her message out. It would take a lot of hard work again, which was disappointing, but she was going to do it. However, she wouldn't be doing it alone. This hadn't been her idea in the first place, and her message wasn't even the one the play had been supposed to feature. This was Gia's idea. Rebecca needed to get her back on board.

She still had the checks that Kira had written in her hand as she made her way to the Moran house. She rang the door and waited until someone answered. Claire, in her pyjamas, opened the door.

"Rebecca?"

"Is Gia home?"

Claire sighed, "She locked herself in her room this morning. The others are upstairs trying to get her out."

"Mind if I try?" Rebecca asked. Claire sighed and invited the younger girl in. There was no harm in giving Rebecca a shot. If anything, Rebecca had the best chance of getting the yellow Ranger out of her room. It was their play that had been ruined.

Rebecca climbed the stairs and saw the rest of the family sitting in the hallway just outside what she assumed was Gia's bedroom door.

"Rebecca?" Jake asked and stood up when he saw her. Rebecca nodded her head.

"I came over to show you guys these," she handed her step-brother the checks. "Kira told us we should refund the tickets we sold and she covered our profits. Doubled them, actually. One thousand dollars for the women's shelter and another thousand to go to the organization of my choice."

"Kira gave you two thousand dollars?" Emma asked and had to have a look at the checks for herself. She had always admired Kira and from what she had seen considered her music idol to be a good person, but this was still surprising for her.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Rebecca smiled. "I knew there was a reason why I loved her. And she promised to help spread our message around, which is really what we wanted. So, I guess you could say my good friend Kira Ford's got my back."

Jake rolled his eyes at his sister before he knocked on Gia's door, "Did you hear that, Gia? It's not all lost…"

"Actually," Rebecca put her hand on Jake's arm and looked around at everyone gathered in the hallway. "Can she and I talk alone for a little bit?"

No one was really sure what Rebecca could say, or if this talk would actually work in getting Gia to come out of her room, but they all got up and left. At the very least, Rebecca's play and message had also been ruined. They had that in common. When the hallway was cleared, Rebecca knocked on the door.

"Gia, it's me? Can I come in?"

There was no answer so Rebecca tried the door. To her surprise it opened and she could walk in. She frowned slightly as she did so and then closed the door behind her.

"You know, with dad, if I left my door unlocked like that, he'd have stormed in," she commented. "You're lucky you have a family that respects your privacy like that."

"I told them if they came in I'd bite their heads off," Gia muttered from her bed.

"Are you going to bite my head off?" Rebecca asked. Gia sighed and shook her head. She sat up and looked to the younger girl.

"The play…"

"It bums be out too," Rebecca nodded. "All our hard work, all the planning… they ruined it."

Gia looked down at her blankets and took in a deep breathe, "I know, but it's just…"

"Worse for you?" Rebecca asked, and when Gia looked up startled Rebecca knew she would have to explain. "Hey, I was there when you were telling your stories to Chesterfield. I was there when you showed her your scars, and that day you broke down in her office because it was the anniversary of the day Cliff first asked you out."

Gia looked embarrassed and turned away. Rebecca sat next to her on the bed.

"Dad only hit me once, and it didn't even hurt that much. I'm not going to pretend I know what it was like to be with Cliff, but I've have hard times too. Humiliating hard times. It's hard to talk to your friends about them and ask for help. It's even harder to talk to strangers about it. I know, when the stupid drama kids switched up the play, you felt like they belittled you. Like your problems aren't real, don't matter and that no one should care. I feel that way too."

Rebecca showed the checks to Gia, "It's not our fault the play flopped, but it's shown us something. Now we know just how people treat these issues, especially the other kids our age. Now, we know we've got to do something more to reach out to them. Something that'll make an even bigger splash so they see these problems can't be ignored or brushed aside. And look, we've already got the attention of Kira Ford."

"She… she…?" Gia looked at both the checks and couldn't believe it. Kira was donating twice the money they raised from the play's ticket sales.

"She wasn't happy with the play last night. She said she would help. My friend, Kira Ford, is pretty cool that way," Rebecca smirked. She put Gia's check on her end table and looked back at the yellow Ranger. "We've got to make this right, Gia. We've got to show the drama kids and all the other people who think what we've got through is just a joke that we're not going to take their ignorance any longer. No one else needs to go through what we've gone through. We're better than this."

Rebecca waited a moment to see if she would get a reaction from Gia but the yellow Ranger just stared at her blankets.

Suddenly, Rebecca felt Gia's arms come around her and they nearly knocked her off the bed. When Rebecca realized it was Gia hugging her, she returned the gesture and chuckled.

"I thought you didn't do hugs?"

"Thank you, Rebecca," Gia whispered.

"Want to go yell at some drama kids some more?" Rebecca smirked. "I heard they're spending all of Sunday cleaning up the auditorium."

Gia pulled away and was about to nod her head when she heard a familiar beeping sound coming from the foot of her bed. She reached into her bag and pulled out her morpher while Rebecca rolled her eyes.

"Can you tell him this is a bad time?" she asked. "We've got our own problems to work out."

"What is it?" Gia asked into the morpher while rolling her eyes.

"There's a monster attacking the warehouse district!" Tensou cried on the other end.

Rebecca frowned, "He sounds worried. It must be really bad."

"That's just Tensou. He's always like this," Gia said as she got up to leave, "You'd think he'd be used to monsters attacking the city by now. Jake! Emma!"

Rebecca watched the yellow Ranger go and then sighed as she looked around the room, "Now what do I do?"


	78. A New Robot In Town

_Author's Note: What's this? Another deleted scene? I'm feeling generous this week, and this time I've decided to use one of my deleted scenes from the Samurai Series! Same rules as last time! _

* * *

When the Rangers arrived to the warehouse district, where Tensou said there was a monster attacking, they saw several construction workers running away in terror. Looking further down, the Rangers noticed there was in fact a monster attacking, but there was something about this monster that didn't seem right. All the mutants had been destroyed, and he didn't look like anything mutated, so he couldn't have been a survivor. He also didn't look like a normal monster from Vrak's army, which seemed to be the only threat the Rangers had left to face.

"Whoa… that's a robot," Noah said as he examined the monster, or rather robot as closely as he could without putting himself in danger.

"Either way," Troy stepped forward and glared at the monster through his helmet, "We've got to stop him."

The good thing about the warehouse district was that once all the workers cleared out, the Rangers had a huge space for the battle. They didn't need to worry too much about damages to the city or people getting attacked in the crossfire. It was them and the monster, and they could focus all their energy on taking him down.

As they rushed towards the robot, he started to fold into himself, taking on the shape of a wheel. He moved quickly through the Rangers, and before they even knew what hit them, he took them all down. His heavy body made of nothing but metal meant his attacks were even more painful than the Rangers had felt before. Getting hit by him was like being hit by a truck. Before they could recover and find their balance again, the monster unfolded himself, stood before them, and fired blasts as them from the lasers at the front of his body. It shot the Rangers into the air and through the doors of one of the warehouses. They landed inside and rolled around on the ground. He was too much, too fast.

The robot took this time, and with a weapon from his hand created a shield for himself out of some of the scrap metal he found inside the warehouse. By the time his shield was complete, the Rangers had just enough energy to be back on their feet and they pulled out their blasters. They shot at him, but the robot used his new shield to protect himself. Not only was he spared from all of their blasts, but his shield didn't have a dent or scratch.

"This guy is bad news!" Jake called out. He tried to fire another round, knowing it was pointless but hoping for the best. The robot countered with an attack of his own. This time he threw his shield at the Rangers. The sharp edges of the scrap metal that made up the shield tore through their suits and into their flesh. The Rangers hit the ground again and they could feel their energy failing fast.

"Stop right there!" Robo-Knight shouted as he finally arrived. He pointed his blaster at the robot but he didn't fire right away. There was something wrong with his sensors. That, or there was something different about this monster. Deciding it was the latter; Robo-Knight lowered his blaster just slightly. "Wait, no life signs? What are you? Are you a robot like me?"

"He's not like you, Robo-Knight!" Troy shouted and hoped he could convince Robo-Knight of this before he was confused.

The robot didn't hesitate to attack when he saw Robo-Knight was momentarily distracted. He blasted Robo-Knight with his lasers. Robo-Knight felt his body lift into the air and not only was he assaulted by the monster's attacks, but he was thrown around the warehouse into an old, rusted car. His momentum carried him over the car, but sent the car rolling after him. By the time he landed he felt the weight of the car crushing him and all his sensors were telling him he had suffered tremendous damage and needed repairs. Not only that, but he was stuck. He didn't have the energy to lift the car that kept him pinned to the ground. He needed a moment to recover.

"Robo-Knight!" the Rangers cried and found some strength to run after him to see if he was okay, but the monster wouldn't give up on them. He shot five lengths of chains at the Rangers which wrapped around their bodies, pinning their arms to their sides. Before the robot cut the chains, he tossed the Rangers around outside. When they landed, the robot immediately set his sights on Troy. The red Ranger didn't have any way to break free of his chains, leaving him helpless to stop the robot from throwing him around once more.

"This is why humans are a pathetic species," the robot laughed just as his sensors picked up on a sound approaching from behind him. Jake and Gia summoned their weapons to cut themselves free and were coming in to attack him. He spun around and held up his shield to block them and then knocked them down with it.

"He doesn't give up!" Jake shouted and beat his fists into the ground before he saw Noah and Emma rolling around on the ground, trying to get free of their chains. Seeing he still had his Snake Axe in hand he got to his feet and ran to his best friend.

"What the hell are you doing?" Noah cried and closed his eyes as Jake swung his axe at him. Noah didn't feel anything except the chains falling away.

"Dude, if I was going to cut you in half, I'd have done it a long time ago," Jake chuckled and helped him friend up Gia had done the same with her Tiger Claw on Emma, which meant four of the Rangers were now free to battle. Jake made his way over to Troy to set him free while the others kept the robot distracted.

"We've got to find a way to hit this guy," Emma said. Noah turned to her.

"He's a robot. He doesn't feel pain like we do. It'd be like trying to hurt Robo-Knight. We would need something really powerful to take him out."

"Like Ultra Mode?" Gia asked as she pulled out her card and the other four followed suit. Once in Ultra Mode, they could move a little faster, and their attacks had some more power behind it. They couldn't hurt the robot because he had no pain receptors like the Insectoids, the mutants, or the Rangers themselves, but they could weaken him. By attacking him relentlessly they managed to wear him down long enough so they could come together and fire all their powers at him at once and the monster blew to pieces where he stood.

The Rangers powered down to look each other over. Though they had won, the robot had put up quite a fight, and hard torn into them painfully. They had quite a few new sets of wounds that needed to be looked after.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked Gia when he saw there was a cut on her forehead. She nodded her head and turned her attention back to the warehouse.

"I'm fine," she answered him.

"When we get home, you're not going to…"

"Rebecca and I talked. She's pretty smart," Gia said and then started to run back into the warehouse. She had a bad feeling about Robo-Knight. That monster had been tough on her and her teammates, and he had taken Robo-Knight, the strongest of them all, out in a single attack. While she and Robo-Knight hadn't gotten off on the best foot together, and while they weren't really friends, they had somewhat grown on each other. At least, she felt like they had. She wasn't sure if Robo-Knight really knew what friendship was.

When she had gone after Dr. Oliver as a dragon alone and stupidly, Gosei had sent Robo-Knight out to bring her back. He found her and surprised her when he actually made an attempt to reach out to her and comfort her. Somehow, he had seen that she was going after Vrak and Dr. Oliver she wasn't thinking clearly and talked her down from doing something even stupider. He made her feel better about always being Vrak's target by explaining to her how Vrak felt threatened by her most of all. He praised her for not giving up against Vrak, and when he knew there would be no stopping her, he had her back in battle. He protected her from Dr. Oliver and from Vrak, and tended to her after the battle. In that moment, Gia was sure they shared a moment. She was sure she had seen a side to Robo-Knight that was… human, if it was at all possible.

Now that he was hurt, she had to make sure he was okay. While he was a robot and while any damages he suffered in battle could be repaired, Gia wanted to do what she could to help him now. She didn't want to leave him, like they had done after almost every battle. He had been there for her once. She wanted to return the favour. She could barely believe it herself, but he was a friend. A good friend.

She found the car that crushed him and looked around. Robo-Knight managed to crawl out from under it but he seemed to still need a little help. Gia climbed over the car and dropped to her knees next to him.

"Are you okay?"

"I will be fine, yellow Ranger," Robo-Knight answered. He tried to sit up and Gia helped him. Then, when it looked like he was trying to stand, she offered her hand. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Helping you. Can you make it back to the command center by yourself?"

"Once I have recovered enough energy I should…"

"Let's not leave you lying around until you do," Gia said and with her morpher she teleported herself and Robo-Knight to the command center so Tensou could get to work on repairing him. Before she teleported back to her friends Robo-Knight thanked her. She smiled at him and then disappeared.


End file.
